Fincantieri to build the new U.S. Navy frigates
Fincantieri said that the U.S. Department of Defense awarded its U.S. subsidiary, Marinette Marine (FMM), a nearly 800 million dollars contract for the concept design and construction of the first-in-class guided missile frigate of the “FFG(X)” program for the U.S. Navy.
The contract envisages an option for 9 additional ships, as well as post-delivery availability support and crew training, with the cumulative value amounting to 5.5 billion dollars. The U.S. Navy plans to build 10 additional vessels as part of the future frigate program, for a total of 20.
With this success, Fincantieri reaps the rewards of a long-lasting commitment. In addition to the Littoral Combat Ships program, envisaging the construction of 16 vessels (10 of which already delivered), last December FMM was awarded with a multi-billion dollar order for the construction of 4 Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MMSC) to be delivered to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the US Foreign Military Sales program.
Thanks to the support of the Italian government and to the rigorous organizational model based on a strong manufacturing tradition and culture, recently applied to the new bridge in Genoa, Fincantieri has succeeded in a competition among several major U.S. shipyards. FMM submitted to the U.S. Government and the U.S. Navy, to which is extended the company’s special acknowledgment, a project considered as the most advanced and cutting-edge. The Group’s proposal is based on the FREMM frigate platform, globally recognized as the most technologically advanced and the base of a 10-unit program awarded to Fincantieri for the Italian Navy – the last vessel is currently under construction.
FMM is the spearhead of Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), managed by Dario Deste, which controls two other shipyards also located in the Great Lakes (Wisconsin) - Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri Ace Marine. The company serves commercial and government customers in the US, including the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard.
