Fincantieri hosted the keel-laying ceremony for the Italian Navy’s second U212NFS (Near Future Submarine) at its Muggiano shipyard.
Fincantieri press release
The keel-laying ceremony for the second-generation U212NFS (Near Future Submarine) destined for the Italian Navy took place at Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard. This milestone is part of the program for the construction of four units and the development of related logistical support, managed and entrusted to OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement), the international organization for the cooperative management of defense programs. Delivery of the second unit is scheduled for 2030.
The U212NFS submarine class represents a substantial evolution compared to the previous U212A, thanks to greater design maturity, a broader national technological content, and superior integration of on-board systems. The innovations developed by Italian industry, including the lithium-ion propulsion battery and the new combat system, will guarantee greater stealth, autonomy, efficiency, and cyber resilience.
The U212NFS program contributes to preserving and enhancing national industrial know-how, consolidating Fincantieri’s role as design authority and prime contractor and fostering the growth of Italian industry skills in the underwater sector. The program has also been recently enhanced through a contractual integration that has expanded the activities relating to new technological capabilities and the integrated logistical support of the units, further strengthening the perimeter of Fincantieri’s competencies along the entire life cycle of the submarines.
In this framework, the Muggiano shipyard confirms its strategic role in constructions for the underwater component of the Italian Navy. With over a century of activity and more than one hundred submarines built, the shipyard represents one of the main national reference centers for the design and construction of underwater units with high technological complexity.
The keel-laying of the second unit thus confirms the production continuity of the U212NFS program and Fincantieri’s ability to systemize shipyards competencies, technologies, and know-how, together with the excellences of the Italian industrial supply chain, in support of the development of national underwater capabilities.
