On 23 July 2026, Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri hosted a steel cutting ceremony for the second of two next-generation FREMM frigates of the “EVOLUTION” version, known as “FREMM EVO”, at its Riva Trigoso shipyard. The overall FREMM programme is managed by OCCAR.
The ceremony brought together senior representatives from national authorities, industry partners and international stakeholders, highlighting the continued progress of one of Europe’s most successful cooperative naval programmes.
The event was also attended by a Portuguese delegation led by Rear Admiral Antonio Mateus, Deputy Director of the Portuguese National Armament Directorate and Programme Board Representative. Portugal’s participation highlighted the programme’s growing international dimension as the country advances its integration into the FREMM Programme with the acquisition of three FREMM EVO frigates, as announced earlier this week.
Construction of the first unit is already well underway: Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri laid the keel of the first FREMM EVO for the Italian Navy in July 2025. Since the programme’s launch, 10 FREMM frigates have been delivered to the Italian Navy and eight to the Marine Nationale. The two Italian FREMM EVO frigates currently under contract are scheduled for delivery in 2029 and 2030. The Portuguese Navy is also set to get its three FREMM EVOs between 2029 and 2030.
The FREMM EVO configuration matches the hull and propulsion of the legacy FREMMs with new superstructures capable to accommodate the same combat and platform systems installed on the latest generation vessels developed under the Italian Naval Law (namely the PPA in the Full configuration and the LHD Trieste), in addition to new systems to deal with new missions and threats. The new FREMM EVO will accommodate, among others, the same Leonardo Kronos Dual-Band Radar (DBR) suite with the four AESA flat antennas of the C-band Kronos Quad and the same number of antennas for the X-band Kronos StarFire compared to the single rotating AESA Kronos Grand Naval radar of the current FREMMs.
In a social media post, Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said “The “FREMM EVO” units will be at the cutting-edge of naval military craft – in terms of technology and performance – thanks to advanced technologies, the latest anti-drone capabilities and specific solutions aimed at improving the ships’ green footprint. The units will also be fitted with highly dependable equipment, relying on robust maintenance plans to ensure their readiness for action, with high levels of operational availability.”
In a post on LinkedIn, OCCAR said: “The OCCAR managed FREMM Programme continues to demonstrate the value of cooperative procurement in delivering advanced naval capabilities while strengthening Europe’s maritime security and defence industrial base.”
To learn more about FREMM EVO, check out our in-depth article at this link and our video coverage at Euronaval 2024:
