On the sidelines of the Euronaval 2026 naval exhibition in Paris, the Italian company Fincantieri, the French Naval Group and the Spanish Navantia signed an agreement to establish a consortium that will take over the implementation of the second stage of the European program for the development and production of a modular multipurpose patrol corvette (MMPC).
The signing ceremony was attended by Fincantieri CEO Pier-Roberto Folgero, Navantia President Ricardo Dominguez and Head of Naval Group Pierre-Eric Pommellet.
The intended appearance of the European modular multipurpose patrol corvette MMPC
Naviris
"The agreement strengthens cooperation between the three European shipbuilding companies and marks the transition from the initial design stage to mass production of modular multi–purpose patrol corvettes," Naval News said.
The MMPC program, launched in 2019 as part of the Permanent Structured Military Partnership of the European Union (PESCO), has been coordinated by the Organization for Cooperation in the Field of Arms Procurement (OCCAR) since 2022. It aims to develop a new generation of naval platforms capable of meeting the changing operational requirements of the European naval forces.
The agreement signed at Euronaval 2026 builds on the results of the first phase of the program, which included conceptual research, preliminary design, development of key technologies and the definition of common methodologies, standards and requirements. The next stage involves completing the preliminary and detailed design of the ship and integrating a number of innovative technologies.
The new generation European corvette is being developed as an innovative multipurpose ship of the mid-21st century. Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Norway have announced their participation in the project. Fincantieri, Naval Group and Navantia are coordinating the design work, and a total of about 40 European companies are planned to be involved in production.
Compared to existing ships today, the new platform will have a number of advantages due to its modular design, which is more flexible and functionally compatible. The consortium members emphasize that MMPC will adapt to the specific requirements of each country, while maintaining the overall design as the standard.
According to the plans, the total displacement of the new corvette will be about 3,000 tons, the length of the hull is 110 meters, and the draft is less than 5 meters. The cruising range is 10,000 nautical miles.
The multifunctional platform must be adapted to solve the tasks of air defense, to combat enemy surface forces, for anti-submarine warfare, to support land operations, etc.
Earlier, information appeared in the press that the Italian navy intends to order eight corvettes to replace ships of the Comandante and Cassiopeia classes, and the French Navy is interested in acquiring from 9 to 11 corvettes.
When the first stage of the program was launched in 2022, it was assumed that the MMPC lead corvette would be commissioned in 2027.
