The Italian Government is sending the Bergamini-class FREMM frigate Martinengo to contribute to the multi-domain European and UK force package which is being assembled in the Eastern Mediterranean to defence the European southeastern borders from potential attacks coming from Iran and proxy forces.
Italy will send a vessel or more to protect Cyprus from further Iranian attacks “in the next few days,” Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Thursday 5 March morning during a plenary hearing for updating the Italian Parliament on the recent developments in the Middle East, few days after a similar communication update moment, due to the evolving scenario in the Eastern Mediterranean. These activities were to be coordinated in the same day afternoon with other European nations through an online meeting between their Ministers of Defence.
“In these hours we have promoted close consultations among Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, launching coordination among four major European states to address this crisis together and strengthen diplomatic action……We shared the need to work together to prevent, as much as possible, a further escalation and to contribute to international stability,” said the Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a video message on Saturday 7 March.
“To guarantee the security of the European Union’s borders, we have also ordered the deployment of an Italian frigate to Cyprus—an act of European solidarity, but above all one of prevention,” the Prime Minister said on the same occasion. This confirmed the information regarding the deployment of the Federico Martinengo FREMM Bergamini-class, which became of public domain on the previous day.
During a radio interview provided on 5 March, the Italian Prime Minister also confirmed the country intention to send military aids, namely air defence assets, to support and protect the friend countries of the Gulf as well as the Italian citizens in these countries, the Italian armed force deployed and energy supply from this area.
The Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto revealed during his hearing that under an already authorized mission in the Middle East, Italy is expected to strengthen its force package – also under the request of local Governments – with defensive assets including air defence missile and counter drone systems. Italian Navy was also requested to keep vessels – Naval News understood being amphibious and logistic support ships – ready to operate for an evacuation of civilian and personnel from Lebanon, in case of need.
Naval News comments
Representing the backbone of Italian Navy Fleet, the Bergamini-class FREMM multi-purpose frigates are currently deployed worldwide, in and out of the “Wide Mediterranean” area of national interest. Outside of the Mare Nostrum, it extends to the Middle East and Gulf of Guinea waters. Under the Operation Mediterranean Secure or Operazione Mediterraneo Sicuro (OMS), which covers the Central and Eastern Mediterranean Sea, in addition to the recently added Martinengo frigate, the Italian Navy is operating other vessels including Schergat ASW Enhanced Bergamini-class frigate, Chioggia Gaeta-class mine countermeasures vessel, and the Vulcano Logistic Support Ship. Under the OMS, the Martinengo frigate can coordinate itself and conduct tactical operations with allied and partner Navies in the area of responsibility, with the added “protection of Cyprus” mission requiring ad hoc roles of engagement, Naval News understood.
Under the command of SNMG 2 flagship Virginio Fasan Bergamini-class ASW frigate, Schergat frigate, Vulcano LSS and other NATO vessels together with Italian Navy Romeo Romei and Pietro Venuti U212A and allied submarines participated to the just concluded NATO Dynamic Manta 2026 exercise in the Central Mediterranean. The Bettica Comandanti-class OPV is involved in the European Union (EU) Irini operation while the Tremiti logistic support vessel is support the Libyan Navy and authorities. The EU Aspides and Atalanta operations in the Horn of Africa see respectively the involvement of Luigi Rizzo and Emilio Bianchi frigates while the same Bergamini-class Alpino is deployed in the Northern America. The San Giusto LPD is involved in the Norwegian-led NATO Cold Response exercise while Doria missile-guided destroyer which was also planned to participate to the same exercise, according to information obtained by Naval News, is returning back to the Med, to bolster air defence capabilities in case of needs.
The Italian Carrier Strike Group based on the Cavour aircraft carrier was expected to be preparing to participate by the end of March to the Neptune Strike 26-1 Enhanced Vigilance Activity in the Mediterranean Sea together with the French Carrier Strike Group and Turkish Expeditionary Strike Group and other NATO forces to demonstrate Alliance readiness and adversary deterrence. The latter activity will depend on the developing scenario.
Martinengo FREMM frigate
Having served in 2025 as the flagship of Operation EUNAVFOR Aspides, where it played an active role in the continuous protection of commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden against Houthi attacks, the frigate Martinengo is one of four General Purpose (GP) FREMM-class units optimized for anti-surface warfare (ASuW).
The ship is armed with a Leonardo 127/64 LW Vulcano main gun for long-range counter-surface engagements and a 76/62 mm Super Rapido in Strales configuration for anti-missile and hybrid-threat defence. Its offensive armament also includes eight launchers for MBDA Italia Teseo Mk2/A anti-ship and land-attack missiles. In addition, Martinengo can accommodate and operate two NHIndustries SH-90 helicopters armed with MBDA Italia Marte Mk2/S anti-ship missiles and MU90 lightweight torpedoes.
Like all FREMM frigates, Martinengo is fitted with the MBDA Italia SAAM ESD air-defence system, built around the MBDA Aster family of surface-to-air missiles (Aster 15 and Aster 30), supported by a command-and-control system and two 8-cell Naval Group A50 vertical launch systems. The ship’s sensor suite includes the Leonardo Kronos Grand Naval multifunction AESA radar, as well as the SIGEN electronic warfare suite developed by ELT Group and Thales, incorporating RESM, CESM, and RECM capabilities. For self-defence in the anti-submarine warfare domain, the frigate is equipped with a Thales bow-mounted sonar, a WASS Underwater Systems anti-collision sonar, two WASS triple torpedo launchers for MU90 lightweight torpedoes, and anti-torpedo decoy launchers.
