Fincantieri buys Leonardo’s torpedo unit in deal that could reach $446M

ROME — Fincantieri has acquired Leonardo’s torpedo unit for up to €415 million (U.S. $446 million), the two Italian firms announced Thursday, bolstering the former’s ambition to become a major player in the undersea warfare business.

State-controlled shipyard Fincantieri will pay €300 million, plus an additional sum of up to €115 million based on the unit’s performance in 2024, the companies said.

Fincantieri, which already builds submarines for the Italian Navy, will undertake a capital increase of €400 million to cover the purchase. That could rise, as subscribers to the capital increase will be given the chance to participate in a second capital increase of up to €100 million, the yard said.

Originally known as WASS, the torpedo unit saw €160 million in revenue last year and holds a 50% stake in GEIE EuroTorp, a joint venture with French firms Naval Group and Thales to market the MU90 light torpedo.

WASS, which stands for Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei, traces its origins to Englishman John Whitehead, who developed the world’s first effective self-propelled torpedo in 1875 in Fiume — then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and now in Croatia.

Leonardo, which the Italian government also controls, has for several years sought a buyer for WASS. The parent firm is increasingly focused on planes, helicopters and electronics.

WASS neatly fits with Fincantieri’s drive to become an integrator in the undersea business, a sector it believes will be worth €100 billion between 2024 and 2028.

“The underwater domain is becoming increasingly relevant for military and security issues concerning critical subsea infrastructures such as gas pipelines, cables for telecommunications and electrical transmissions, as well as for the surveillance of marine mineral deposits,” Fincantieri said in its statement.

Undersea technology was doubly important in the Mediterranean Sea , where activities “such as intelligence, surveillance, defence, and deterrence are experiencing strong growth, necessitating a dedicated industrial focus,” the firm added.

To increase its clout in the sector, Fincantieri is partnering at a new sub-sea center in La Spezia, Italy, bringing together industry, the Italian Navy and academia to work on programs.

Fincantieri also signed a deal last year to work with Leonardo on drones to protect undersea cables and pipelines. In December, the former it bought local firm Remazel, which manages sub-sea operations for the oil and gas sector, and has signed a memorandum of understanding to team with WSense, an Italian startup using Norwegian technology to develop underwater communications based on acoustic and optical signals.

Fincantieri is also working with C.A.B.I. Cattaneo, an Italian supplier of underwater vehicles to Italy’s naval special forces.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——意大利两家公司周四宣布，芬坎蒂尼集团已以高达 4.15 亿欧元（4.46 亿美元）的价格收购了莱昂纳多集团的鱼雷部门，这增强了芬坎蒂尼集团成为水下战争领域主要参与者的雄心。

两家公司表示，国有控股造船厂芬坎蒂尼将支付 3 亿欧元，并根据该部门 2024 年的业绩，额外支付至多 1.15 亿欧元。

芬坎蒂尼船厂已为意大利海军建造潜艇，为支付此次收购费用，将增资4亿欧元。该船厂表示，增资额可能还会增加，因为参与首次增资的投资者将有机会参与第二轮最高达1亿欧元的增资。

该鱼雷部门原名为 WASS，去年的收入为 1.6 亿欧元，并持有 GEIE EuroTorp 50% 的股份，GEIE EuroTorp 是与法国海军集团和泰雷兹公司合资成立的，旨在销售 MU90 轻型鱼雷。

WASS，即 Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei，其起源可追溯到英国人约翰·怀特黑德，他于 1875 年在阜姆（当时是奥匈帝国的一部分，现在位于克罗地亚）研制出了世界上第一枚有效的自推进鱼雷。

由意大利政府控股的莱昂纳多公司多年来一直在为WASS寻找买家。这家母公司正日益专注于飞机、直升机和电子产品领域。

WASS 与 Fincantieri 成为海底业务集成商的战略完美契合，该公司认为该行业在 2024 年至 2028 年间的价值将达到 1000 亿欧元。

芬坎蒂尼集团在声明中表示：“水下领域对于军事和安全问题，例如天然气管道、电信和电力传输电缆等关键海底基础设施，以及海洋矿藏的监测，正变得越来越重要。”

该公司补充说，海底技术在地中海地区尤为重要，因为“情报、监视、防御和威慑等活动正在强劲增长，因此需要专门的产业重点”。

为了增强其在该领域的影响力，芬坎蒂尼集团正在意大利拉斯佩齐亚建立一个新的海底中心，将工业界、意大利海军和学术界聚集在一起开展项目。

芬坎蒂尼集团去年还与莱昂纳多公司签署了一项协议，合作开发用于保护海底电缆和管道的无人机。去年12月，芬坎蒂尼收购了为石油和天然气行业管理海底作业的意大利本土公司Remazel，并与WSense签署了一份谅解备忘录，WSense是一家意大利初创公司，利用挪威技术开发基于声光信号的水下通信技术。

芬坎蒂尼集团还与意大利水下航行器供应商 CABI Cattaneo 合作，后者是意大利海军特种部队的水下航行器供应商。

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。