European shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered the fourth multipurpose combat ship (PPA) to the Italian Navy, according to a company statement on 2 October.
Known as the Giovanni delle Bande Nere (P433), this vessel is the first of two units in the “full” militarised version – one of three PPA configurations the Navy require.
Fourth PPA warship
The fully militarised warship – which includes anti-air, surface and submarine capabilities, is named after Ludovico di Giovanni de' Medici, known as Giovanni delle Bande Nere, a leading figure in Renaissance Italy.
Her namesake was born in Forlì on 6 April 1498 and died in Mantua on 30 November 1526. He was an Italian leader of the Renaissance and a member of a branch of the Medici family.
A light cruiser had previously bore his name during the Second World War, which was launched in 1930.
What are PPAs?
Others include “Light,” armed with artillery, and “Light Plus,” including ballistic missile defence – these variants have two and three units respectively.
P433 will “renew the operational lines of the naval units.” This was a decision made by the Italian government and with parlimanetary approval, and launched under the auspices of OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Cooperation in Armaments).
A ceremony took place as the supplier’s Muggiano shipyard in La Spezia attended by Admiral Andrea Gueglio, Director General of Navy Personnel; Admiral Chief Inspector Giuseppe Abbamonte, the Director of the Naval Armaments Directorate; Joachim Sucker, the Director of OCCAR; all of whom were welcomed by Attilio Dapelo, Director of Operations of the Naval Ships Division of Fincantieri and Antonio Quintano, Director of the Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso-Muggiano.
All seven Italian PPAs are built at the Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano with deliveries scheduled until 2026.
Future role of PPAs
PPAs are a multi-role offshore patrol vessels also referred to as the Thaon di Revel-class.
Italy’s contract stipulated seven ships and in-service support for ten years in a deal worth €3.5bn ($3.89bn). The Navy now have four PPA units so far as the new fleet is set to replace the country’s ageing patrol boats, corvettes and frigates acquired from as early as the 1980s.
These platforms represent a highly flexible vessel type with the ability to perform multiple tasks ranging from patrol with sea rescue capabilities, to civil protection operations, as well as a front-line fighting vessel.
Different combat system configurations are foreseen: starting from a “light” variant, related to the patrol task, integrated with self-defense capabilities, up to a “complete” standard, equipped with maximum defence capacity.
Furthermore, the unit is able to use fast boats such as RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats) up to a length of over 11 metres through lateral cranes or a launching ramp located at the stern.
