OCCAR awards $4.2B DDX destroyer contract to Fincantieri, Leonardo joint venture

Concept art of the Italian Navy's future DDX destroyer (Fincantieri)

BELFAST — Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) has issued a €3.7 billion ($4.2 billion) contract for the production of two Italian Navy DDX destroyers to the Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN) joint venture, made up of local firms Fincantieri and Leonardo.

“The DDX programme is set to redefine the Italian Navy’s capability profile in the field of air and missile defence through a significant generational leap” at both a platform and combat systems level, said the two manufacturers in a joint statement today.

It added that the program will see OSN cement sub-supply contracts with Fincantieri, valued at around €1.8 billion, and Leonardo, worth an estimated €1.7 billion, “in the coming weeks.” Roughly €1.3 billion of the entire contract is based on options.

Deliveries of the two ships, set to replace a pair of Durand de la Penne-class destroyers, are planned for 2033 and 2035 — a delay from Rome’s reported original plans . When Italy first unveiled new destroyer plans in 2020, it reportedly committed to a 2028 delivery timeline.

A construction contract was purportedly penciled in for 2023, dependent on funding, but according to Italian outlet Infodifesa, problems “ likely linked ” to defining operational requirements and financial resources, led to the project suffering a three-year delay.

The Italian Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment at press time.

Shipbuilder Fincantieri is responsible for the design and build of the new destroyer, with Leonardo supporting combat system development.

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The DDX measures 180 meters (590.5 feet) long and features a 13,500-tonne (14,881.2-ton) displacement, in addition to a range in excess of 4,000 nautical miles, according to the joint statement.

The statement added that the surface ship will provide an “unprecedented” integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) “capability against missile, ballistic and hypersonic threats” courtesy of a SADOC 5 C5I system, a digital S-band AESA radar and MBDA-made weapons.

In line with a first quarter financial results and a business outlook update, Fincantieri indicated in May that it expected to seal near-term orders worth around €5 billion, including the DDX deal. The shipbuilder noted then that two units from the Italian Navy’s Joint Maritime Mission System (J3MS) program would be contracted within months.

Beyond domestic business, the firm “plans to finalize major contracts with several foreign navies both for the supply of surface vessels, including FREMM frigates, and for the provision of services in the Middle East and other key geographic areas,” reads the Q1 summary.

Italian electronics specialist ELT Group said in a related statement today that it will equip the DDX vessels with a “next-generation electronic warfare suite designed to enhance the protection of both the platform and the entire naval force in increasingly complex, multi-domain operational scenarios.”

意大利海军未来DDX驱逐舰的概念图（芬坎蒂尼设计）

贝尔法斯特——欧洲联合军备合作组织（OCCAR）已向由当地公司芬坎蒂尼和莱昂纳多组成的Orizzonte Sistemi Navali（OSN）合资企业授予一份价值37亿欧元（42亿美元）的合同，用于生产两艘意大利海军DDX驱逐舰。

两家制造商今天在一份联合声明中表示：“DDX计划旨在通过在平台和作战系统层面实现重大的代际飞跃，重新定义意大利海军在防空和导弹防御领域的能力概况。”

该公司补充说，未来几周内，OSN水泥将分别与芬坎蒂尼集团（Fincantieri）和莱昂纳多集团（Leonardo）签订价值约18亿欧元和17亿欧元的转包供应合同。整个合同中约有13亿欧元为期权条款。

这两艘新舰艇将取代两艘杜兰德·德拉·佩内级驱逐舰，交付时间分别定于2033年和2035年——比罗马方面最初的计划有所推迟。据报道，意大利在2020年首次公布新驱逐舰计划时，曾承诺在2028年交付。

据称，一项建设合同已暂定于 2023 年签订，但取决于资金情况。然而，据意大利媒体 Infodifesa 报道，由于“可能与”确定运营要求和财务资源有关的问题，该项目被延误了三年。

截至发稿时，意大利国防部尚未对此事作出回应。

造船企业芬坎蒂尼负责新驱逐舰的设计和建造，莱昂纳多公司则负责作战系统的开发。

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根据联合声明，DDX 长 180 米（590.5 英尺），排水量为 13,500 吨（14,881.2 吨），航程超过 4,000 海里。

声明还补充说，这艘水面舰艇将凭借 SADOC 5 C5I 系统、数字 S 波段 AESA 雷达和 MBDA 制造的武器，提供“前所未有的”综合防空反导 (IAMD)“能力，以应对导弹、弹道导弹和高超音速威胁”。

根据第一季度财务业绩和业务展望更新，芬坎蒂尼集团在5月份表示，预计近期将达成价值约50亿欧元的订单，其中包括与DDX的交易。这家造船企业当时指出，意大利海军联合海上任务系统（J3MS）项目的两艘舰艇将在数月内签订合同。

除了国内业务外，该公司第一季度业绩摘要显示，“计划与多个外国海军敲定重大合同，包括供应水面舰艇（如FREMM护卫舰）以及在中东和其他重要地理区域提供服务。”

意大利电子专家 ELT 集团今天在一份相关声明中表示，将为 DDX 舰艇配备“下一代电子战套件，旨在增强平台和整个海军部队在日益复杂的多域作战场景中的防护能力”。