The launch of the frigate Emilio Bianchi, the tenth and final ship of the FREMM class, took place at the shipyard of Riva Trigoso this week.
The ten Fremm ships were ordered from Fincantieri by the Italian Navy within the framework of an Italian–French cooperative programme coordinated by OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l’Armement), the international organisation for cooperation on armaments.
After the launch, fitting-out activities will continue at the integrated naval shipyard of Muggiano (La Spezia), with delivery scheduled in 2021. The Emilio Bianchi, like her sister-ships, features a high degree of flexibility and is capable of operating in all tactical situations.
With a length of 144 metres and a beam of 19.7 metres, the ship will have a displacement of approximately 6,700 tonnes at full load. She has a top speed of over 27 knots and will be able to accommodate a up to 200 people, including crew and passengers.
The FREMM program stems from the Italian Navy’s requirement to replace the Lupo-class (now all retired) and Maestrale-class frigates (now being decommissioned), both built by Fincantieri in the 1970s.
The ships Carlo Bergamini and Virginio Fasan were delivered in 2013, the Carlo Margottini in 2014, the Carabiniere in 2015, the Alpino in 2016, the Luigi Rizzo in 2017, the Federico Martinengo in 2018, and the Antonio Marceglia in 2019.
If I were a betting man, I’d be leaning towards this design as the winner of the USN’s FFGX competition. Not even considering the fact that it would be built in a shipyard in a battleground state for the upcoming U.S. election.
Cheers
I am still inclined to say that the Navantia/GDBIW F100 Alvaro de Bazán based design has a better chance.
Having actually been on one it looks and feels like a US designed ship and a successor to the Perry class which is hardly surprising as BIW helped modernise Navantia to build the Santa Maria sub variant of the Perry class.
It is also designed from the off with AEGIS and AN/SPY1 and they are currently doing the design work to fit AN/SPY6 for the follow on F101 variant that the Spanish Navy are ordering. AN/SPY6 is required for FFG(X) so in effect GDBIW and Navantia get a head start on this!
Of course as you do note, where the yard is will be important in an election year so I am not holding my breath on anything at the moment!
Good points Fedaykin! I would weight the design more strongly in terms of success if it WEREN’T for the location of the shipyard involved. The float away cost of the FREMM is also right on mark ~ 900 million U.S. dollars. The F100 design is going to come in over that by a good margin.
Overall it’s a good design and compatible with the RAN’s Hobarts which is a big plus. Also, as you pointed out it’s the only one to have integrated the AEGIS radar and CES already. Looking forward to the USN’s decision.
Cheers!
The Italian Navy will end up with 10 FREMM Frigates, and typically the French Navy will end up with 8 despite an original requirement for 17.A better comparison to the speed of Warship building would be the first PPA,Paulo Thaon De Revel which started construction at roughly the same time as HMS Glasgow.She was launched in June last year and is now undergoing Sea Trials,I put a picture of her up on another thread.Obviously when Shipyards get a decent order book they can make efficiencies.
A major plus is that the Fincantieri Group build ships day in day out. If its not military units for home and export use its commercial vessels for numerous users, especially the Cruise liner market.
The whole company is designed for efficiency in building vessels using Super Block, Block, Unit and Panel construction. Because they are always building something somewhere there is no skill fade there is no loss of skilled labour.
The Riva yard is a yard that does not struggle for space and it does not need to cram everything in to a small foot print as the Clyde yard and say Barrow does.
If you want an efficient shipbuilding infrastructure in the UK build a single new super yard on the coast with direct access to the sea (not on a river). Design it from scratch to use Block building with lots of automated cutting and welding machines. This means less manpower is required and human error (rework) is greatly reduced. An auto welding machine gets the weld right first time day in day out. It will work 24/7 and because it delivers a standard weld there is little need for grinding and rework. NDT is easier. Mating blocks up is easier ( they fit together because the cutting and welding is accurate).
You still need skilled manpower but the mundane tasks are reduced and production is speeded up.
Agreed. Where could we build such a facility in England, and roughly how long would it take to construct?
Birmingham. 4 and a half weeks
No Birmingham stinks of shit! Let’s say Blackpool in a day.
Perhaps a compromise solution can be found,like having the Design and Prototyping / First of Class done in the UK, but then all the serial Production done in a Shipyard such as here.Industrial offsets usually form parts of Defense contracts,the other party can then reciprocate with some other contract be it Naval or Aviation etc.
You must be joking. This is political suicide. There is also a law against building warships outside UK. The best idea see above, is to construct a new mega yard with priority of resources and manpower in North of England west coast.
No,i wasn’t joking and I’m aware of the Law regarding building Warships in the UK.If you acknowledge there is a problem regarding the costs of say a Type 26 and the time it takes to get even just one constructed and in service then you have to look at all options,however unpalatable.Im not sure creating a Mega Shipyard in the North of England is the solution,thats just moving the costs ( plus set-up costs) and delays somewhere else.We are all aware that the UK Govt and MOD are the main culprits regarding a steady flow of orders ,but with rumours of the Defence Budget coming under scrutiny ( yet again) something has to give otherwise the Fleet will shrink to nothing.
How much of the ships costs is actually in the ship build compared to the full cost? I think the fit out of weapons, sensors etc is the main costs.
Keeler – the Fabrication/Build process is quoted as somewhere around a Quarter/one Third with the Weapons and Systems procurement/installation/intergration making up the rest.
Italian FREMMs taken between 3 & 5 years, mostly 4 years. Our cavalier attitude to our own defense is unfathomable. Heads should roll.
Unfathomable and dangerous. There needs to be much stronger management at the MOD in the way they operate and influence our country.
The British Government should be ashamed in the way it funds and equips the Royal Navy. We would all agree that Italy is finacially in a bad condition. We would also agree that the Italian Navy operates mostly in the Med where as the Royal Navy has commitments on all the worlds oceans.
Yet when I look at numbers and capability I would say that for area of responsability the Italian Navy is better equipped.
To start with the Italians have 4 AIP SSKs with a further four planned, ok so the RN has 7 SSNs but I would not advise the use of a SSN in the Med or North Sea. The SSNs are to big for these areas. So for world operations the SSNs are better but are limited in operational area.
Aircraft carriers, ok it looks like the RN is better of in this with two 70,000 ton carriers compared to the small 28,000 ton Italian carrier. Again the Italain ship is better suited to its area of operations. it just not a good idea having a big ship in a small sea, especially the Med where there is a choke point right in the middle of it.
Amphibious capabilities, here the Italian Navy in the next couple of years will completly outstripe the capabilities of the RN with 1×33,000 tons LHD nearing completion, 2×20-24,000 ton LPDs planned for and 1×20-24,000 ton LHA. Poissibly these three will be a variation of the 33,000ton Trieste which is under construction. If that is the case the Italian Marines would have a combined first lift capacity of 2,500 Marines, 40 helicopters and 60 F35Bs, if all ships are fully equipped. The Italian Amphibs also appear to be armed with 76mm guns, 32 VL MICA and smaller weapons. I have got to admit I wish the the British Government would give that type of capability to the RN. What can the RN lift, 1,200 Marines, light equipment and no embarked air lift or F35Bs for close support, defensivly, CIWS, maybe. I keep banging on about three HMAS Canberra type ships to replace Albion and Bulwark, people keep saying we can’t afford it etc, the ITALIANS can and they are finacially in a worse situation than the UK or so we keep hearing.
Now come surface comabat ships Well the Italians have 2 new DDGs (that work) compared to the RNs 6 T45s that well don’t work, a couple have been tied up along side waiting for engine rebuilds, by the time they get the refits done they will almost be new ships, Dautless for example has been laid up since 2016 and is not expected back in the fleet until 2021-22. She was only commissioned in 2010, she has spent almost half of her life doing, well nothing.
They have ten new FFGs compared to our 13 aging T23s, some of our T23s are so old that they need new hull plates. The T23s are now costing more to keep in service than they did to build new. I was always taught as an engineer that the moment repairs and updates is outstripping the original new build cost the piece of kit is past its sell by date and get rid of it. They have 7 new and three as a further option OPV replacements but the OPVs are being replaced with the PPA class ships that are bigger and better equipped and better armed than our T31s and the first 7 are fully financed. That gives a total of 19 new surface combat ships completed by 2026, when will the RN get its compliment of T26s somewhere by the mid 2030s. The Italian Navy at this moment in time is better equipped than the Royal Navy, if they combine their carrier to the future Amphib group then in theory it would have the same F35B capacity of the two QE carriers but will have 30 more helicopters available oh and 2,500 men and heavy equipment such as MBTs to put ashore. The surface combat strenght is the same but much more modern and they have done this whilst being in finicial trouble.
So HM Government I dare you to explain to this simpleton how is it that Italy has a modern combat fleet with in some cases better capability than the Royal Navy but is finacialy and industrially not as good as the UK according to the British Government. Don’t get me started on Coast Guard/Revenue cutters, the Italians out number the UK by about 10:1 in that field.
I left out the SSBNs as they do not belong to the RN but to the Govenrment, a RN captain cannot use it he or in the future possibly she only operates it at the command of Government.
Ron – I totally agree with your points,obviously the Italians have a very different system of Government to ours,one that appears chaotic and fractious at the best of times but to give them credit the Marina Mlitare needed a Fleet Renewal Programme,the Government was prepared to pay for it ( despite Economic uncertainty) and in Fincatieri they have a Shipbuilder that can execute it.Can I add that as well as the Two Horizon Class DDG’s they have Two Durand De Le Penne Class Destroyers due to replaced around 2025 by a potential 10,000 ton design more akin to a modern Cruiser,of which the RN has shown some interest in.The PPA Class should run to 10 Ships but there is some debate as to whether later units will be swapped in production by an ASW specific Frigate Design.Also there is another collaboration with France for the construction of an EPC (European Patrol Corvette) Class which on paper look like a well Armed 3,000 ton Ship.All in all they will as you say posess an impressive Fleet that will be a match for the Royal Navy in most regards.
I don’t understand Type 23 giving that kind of troubles. I mean the Italians are still retiring their Maestrale frigates and they are almost 10 years older than Type 23. And it is not like they have been put to use, they went several times to Indian Ocean.
This isn’t the Scottish yards fault but the government slowing it down for as long as possible so it delays payment. Unfortunately this actually makes the build more expensive overall.