The European Organization for Joint Arms Cooperation (OCCAR) has signed a contract with Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN) with a total value of about 3.7 billion euros. We are talking about the development, production and initial operational support of two new generation DDX destroyers for the Italian Navy. The transfer of the ships is scheduled for 2033 and 2035, respectively.
Naval News recalls that OSN is a joint venture between Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%). In the coming weeks, the company will sign subcontracting contracts with Fincantieri and Leonardo for about 1.8 billion euros and about 1.7 billion euros, respectively.
DDX New generation destroyer Design (Italy)
Fincantieri
The deal marks the official launch of one of the most significant programs for the future of the Italian Navy and lays the foundation for a new generation of ships designed to operate in marine scenarios of increasing complexity and rapid technological evolution.
The DDX program is designed to redefine the Italian Navy's air and missile defense capabilities through a major generational shift. It affects both the marine platform designed and developed by Fincantieri in the role of a system integrator, along with its increasingly advanced digitalization, and the combat system created by Leonardo. The new ships will be designed to operate as part of multinational forces and will receive a high level of digitalization, automation and integration of sensors, weapons systems, multi-sphere command and control systems, as well as platform control systems. The architecture of the combat system will also ensure a high level of compatibility, information exchange and management.
The key innovations of the platform include: an on-board DC power grid with an energy storage system; an innovative stabilization system integrated with steering; new algorithms and methods for calculating temperature and electrical balance, as well as further digital evolution of the ship's control system.
"The destroyers will be equipped with a powerful fully digital SADOC 5 C5I S-band radar (frequency from 2 to 4 GHz, wavelength from 15 to 7.5 cm) with an active phased array antenna, as well as MBDA anti–missile systems, thanks to which they will receive unprecedented integrated air and missile defense capabilities, including countering ballistic and hypersonic threats," Naval News notes.
"This is one of the most significant naval programs launched in Italy in recent years, and it confirms our company's role as an industrial and technological fulcrum in the design and integration of complex marine systems," said Pier-Roberto Folero, head of Fincantieri.
The two ships represent the development and replacement of "Horizon" class destroyers. With a length of 180 meters and a displacement of 13,500 tons, the DDX platform combines innovations in marine engineering, digital technology and electronics.
"Equipped" with an electronic "brain" that makes ships "think", DDX destroyers will embody the Navis Sapiens concept developed by Fincantieri: a digital ship capable of intelligently collecting, correlating and using data generated by all onboard systems, turning it into information useful for operational decisions, technical management and support throughout the life cycle. The open and scalable architecture allows for the integration of new functions and emerging technologies, overcoming the obsolescence issues typical of the shipbuilding industry.
Navis Sapiens' connection to the shore allows for the creation of a digital ecosystem (Fincantieri Digital Ecosystem) for the Italian Navy, connecting a digital ship to a digital naval base and combining distributed data and capabilities, providing data exchange for forecasting maintenance and logistical support. According to the developers, all this provides significant advantages: increased mission readiness, increased operational availability, supply chain flexibility, accelerated crew rotation, more efficient problem solving and compatibility in solving tasks in different areas.
