TSAMTO, October 20. As part of the MMPC (Modular and Multirole Patrol Corvette) Modular Multipurpose European Corvette development program, the European Commission selected a proposal submitted by a consortium led by Naviris, which included Fincantieri, Naval Group and Navantia.
During the Euronaval exhibition, on October 18, the heads of four companies signed a preliminary agreement on the creation of a consortium aimed at managing the implementation of the contract.
The aim of the proposal presented by the consortium is to maximize interaction and cooperation between European shipbuilding enterprises. Jointly developing a new EPC (European Patrol Corvette) ship, the companies strive to ensure European sovereignty in the field of creating second-rank warships.
The new corvette is expected to be an intelligent, innovative, affordable, easy-to-maintain, unified and flexible ship designed to solve a wide range of promising tasks in an ever-changing environment. Based on innovative and breakthrough technologies, the program should make a significant contribution to European sovereignty in the naval sphere by strengthening European industry, expanding cooperation, increasing efficiency and reducing duplication of defense expenditures.
The main purpose of the signed agreement is to develop a preliminary design of the ship with maximum use of innovation, synergy and cooperation of the European shipbuilding industry through participation:
- 4 countries (Italy, France, Spain and Greece) within the framework of the European Permanent Structural Cooperation Program (PESCO);
- 6 countries jointly participating in the financing (Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Norway);
- 3 major European shipbuilding companies (Fincantieri, Naval Group and Navantia);
- 40 companies within the framework of the supply of marine systems and equipment from 12 EU countries.
EPC is a promising innovative program for the creation of a warship, which is being developed jointly by the Navies of several countries and members of the European Union under the auspices of PESCO. The naval commands of four countries have officially joined the project (Italy, France, Spain and Greece) to jointly determine the requirements for a surface combat ship of the 2nd rank with a length of about 110 m and a displacement of 3000 tons, which allows replacing several types of ships in the near future, from patrol to light frigates. In addition, Norway and Denmark support the project through the participation of their national industry.
The EPC project is actively supported by the European Commission and Member States. The European Defense Fund opened a competition called MMPC (Modular Multipurpose Patrol Corvette) in which Naviris (a joint venture of Fincantieri and Naval Group), combining the experience of European companies, coordinated the development of the proposal submitted in December 2021. In July 2022, the proposal was selected and received funding for the implementation of a two-year initial design phase, the development of technological blocks and the definition of common work methodologies, rules and standards.
It is assumed that the program will be expanded due to the experience of various specialized European companies in accordance with the strategy of the European Commission.
