Fincantieri wins the US race. USA For the new FFG (X) frigates

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Fincantieri wins the tender launched by the US Navy. USA for the new multi-role frigates within the program FFG (X), also known as “fast frigate”. the We marina in fact he assigned it to the American “arm” of the group led by Giuseppe Bono , Fincantieri Marine Group, the $ 795.1 million contract for the detailed design and construction of the class leader. The contract also includes the option for the other nine units and, if exercised, the value of the allocation would increase to $ 5.57 billion. The contract will be carried out by one of Fmc’s three shipyards, Fincantieri Marinette Marine, in Wisconsin.

Minister Guerini: great success for Fincantieri
“A great success for the Fincantieri group – commented the Minister of Defense, Lorenzo Guerini -. The defense sector encompasses much of Italian excellence and at this time when the recovery from production activities affected by the Covid-19 crisis is important, this is a significant injection of confidence. Fincantieri brings the guarantee of Italian technology to the seas of the world. An important result, also the result of intense teamwork, which is a sign of confidence towards Italy. ”

Deste (Grupo Marino Fincantieri): ready to work
“When we started this journey almost two years ago, we did so with the belief that there was a place for new ideas, new platforms and new partners in a sector, such as shipbuilding, which already had talent in the United States,” he said. Dario Deste, number one of the Fincantieri Marine Group -. Today’s announcement confirms this thought. The Navy plans to build 20 ships under the future frigate program. Fincantieri will manufacture a custom variant of Fremm in Wisconsin at its Marinette shipyard. Congratulations to the Navy on this important decision. The men and women of Fincantieri Marinette Marine and our partner suppliers in the United States are ready to work. ”

Victory over fierce competition.
The race initially included 20 new frigates and, therefore, it is presumed that the US Navy. USA will launch a new competition to complete the program worth a total of approximately $ 20 billion. Although there is still no certainty about how the program will continue. In any case, Fincantieri has crossed the finish line ensuring very important success against very fierce competition: the American giants Huntington Ingalls Industries, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in line with the Spanish of Navantia and the Australian shipyards of Austal Usa.

The roadmap for the FFG (X) program
According to Roadmap defined by the Overseas Navy, the program foresees the design and construction of the first unit with delivery in mid-2026, while the second ship must be insured after five and a half years from the second contract (one year is expected later). The road to awarding the tender started in 2017, but the competition only started last year when, in June, the US Navy. USA Issued the Request for Proposals (RFP). The candidate candidates responded by submitting technical proposals in August and the cost offers the following month.

The project built around Fremm
To win the challenge in the United States, Fincantieri involved two large American studios (Gibbs & Cox for naval design e Trident Marine Systems for the engineering solution) to adapt the design of the FREMM (European multi-mission frigates) according to the standards and requirements of the US Navy program. USA Compared to units currently in service, the Litoral Combat Ship (Lcs) made, in addition, by a consortium that includes the Fincantieri and Lockheed Martin Corporation themselves, must have greater survival and defense capabilities. Boats for the USA order USA They will be built, as mentioned, at the Wisconsin shipyard, where the Lcs are also being built, of which the Fincantieri-Lockheed tandem has already delivered 10 units of the 16 ordinates (the remaining 6 are in various stages of processing).

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