The OCCAR-EA Director, the Chief Executive Officer of EUROSAM GIE, and the Chief Executive Officer of NAVIRIS have signed Amendment No. 2 to the Horizon Mid-Life-Upgrade (MLU) contract.
OCCAR press release
This amendment incorporates the contractual, technical and commercial updates required to support the next phase of the Horizon MLU Programme and to ensure the timely continuation of the planned modernization activities for the four Horizon-class frigates operated by the French and Italian Navies.
The primary objective of Amendment No. 2 is to introduce all contractual changes necessary to enable the start of works onboard the First Italian Ship (FOC IT), scheduled to commence at the end of September. The amendment provides the contractual framework required to launch these activities while maintaining programme coherence and ensuring alignment with the operational requirements of the Participating Nations.
The Horizon MLU Programme continues to address system and equipment obsolescence issues through the design, development and onboard integration of advanced capabilities.
Key technology upgrades include:
- Advanced Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) capabilities
- Enhanced Electronic Warfare Systems (EWS)
- Modernised sensors and radar systems
- Improved command-and-control functions
- Upgraded threat detection and engagement capabilities
- Increased ship survivability against evolving threats
These improvements will significantly enhance the operational effectiveness, resilience and survivability of the ships against current and emerging threats.
The signature of Amendment No. 2 represents another important milestone for the programme and demonstrates the strong cooperation among OCCAR, industry and the Participating Nations in delivering critical naval capabilities.
Through the OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation) framework, the longstanding strategic collaboration between France and Italy in the naval domain continues to deliver tangible benefits and reinforces European defence cooperation.
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Naval News comments
The French and Italian Navy General Staffs, their national naval procurement organisations, OCCAR and the defence consortium consisting of NAVIRIS, EUROSAM, FINCANTIERI, NAVAL GROUP, THALES, LEONARDO, MBDA and SIGEN are jointly working on this high-level cooperative naval project.
The major changes that will be made concern the AAW (Anti-Air Warfare) and EW (Electronic Warfare) domains, whilst optimising the initial In-Service Support (ISS) for common activities and maximising the benefits of cooperative procurement practices.
With this upgrade, Horizon class frigates will receive a state-of-the-art modernization of the entire vessel and the enhancement of their anti-warfare capabilities. New weapon systems and associated Command and Control, and electronic warfare suites will provide highest capabilities and performances against the most modern threats. Regarding anti-air warfare, the new generation of PAAMS & LRR is a very significant upgrade and the system will be able to defeat the threats of the decade to come as missiles (hypersonic, ballistic, supersonic sea-skimmer, high velocity cruise), UAVs and highly maneuvering aircrafts, in a saturation attack scenario.
This new generation of PAAMS & LRR for the frigates, developed and produced by eurosam through MBDA Italia, MBDA France and Thales and integrated jointly with Naviris on the frigates, relies on an enhanced missile (ASTER Block 1 NT), an upgraded launcher, two new AESA radars (Kronos Grand Naval from Leonardo and SMART-L MM/N from Thales) and a new open software architecture command and control system.
