The Italian Navy has commissioned its fifth FREMM frigate Alpino during a ceremony held at Fincantieri’s Muggiano, La Spezia shipyard on September 30.
FREMM frigates are built within the international Italian-French program, coordinated by OCCAR (the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation).
Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, a joint venture between Fincantieri (51%) and Finmeccanica (49%), is the prime contractor for Italy in the FREMM program.
The Italian Navy has already ordered all 10 frigates it intends to build to replace the Lupo- and Maestrale-class frigates built by Fincantieri in the 1970s.
The vessels Carlo Bergamini and Virginio Fasan were delivered in 2013, the Carlo Margottini in 2014 and the Carabiniere in 2015. With the option exercised April 2015 for the construction of the ninth and tenth vessel, whose delivery is scheduled after 2020, the Italian program has been fully implemented.
Alpino is the fourth ship built with the ASW – anti submarine warfare configuration. Italy will eventually operate six general purpose variants and four anti-submarine variants.
France, which is also acquiring FREMM frigates, will have six anti-submarine variants, and two air-defense variants.
Apart from Italy and France, Royal Moroccan Navy and Egyptian Navy bought one ship each. FREMM Mohammed VI was delivered to Morocco in 2014 while the Egyptian Navy had their own FREMM, Tahya Misr, delivered in 2015.
With a length of 144 meters and a displacement of 6,700 tonnes, the frigates reach a maximum speed of 27 knots and to provide accommodation for 200 people (crew and staff).