US Navy FFG(X) Program: Contract Award To Fincantieri for Concept Design.

The US Navy awarded to Fincantieri’s subsidiary Marinette Marine a $15M contract to develop the design of a customized version of its FREMM vessels for the next-generation frigate of the FFG(X) program.

Fincantieri Marine Group stand at SNA 2018 had a tablet giving some quick facts about the FREMM.

Currently, 6 FREMM frigates are in service with the Italian Navy and have successfully completed multi-role missions world-wide. The units of the FREMM class have also been chosen in Australia for the final stage of the SEA5000 tender to acquire 9 Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates for the Royal Australian Navy.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine has teamed with Gibbs & Cox and Trident Maritime Systems to evolve FREMM to U.S. design standards. This wholly American team will develop a ship design, which, in case of award of the tender, would be built at Fincantieri shipyards in the US, where, over the past 9 years the company has developed a highly skilled workforce, a strong supply chain and expertise in building ships to US Navy standards.

Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “We are honored to see the FREMM down-selected by the US Navy on grounds of being a well-proven, highly capable and modern design, based on a deployed, high-performing ship, which is the closest to the requirements of the US program. We are committed to continue to play a part in supporting the US Navy in its strategy to develop smaller naval vessels, central to our customer’s long-term goals for the fleet renewal and to the growth of the American shipbuilding export industry”. Bono concluded: “This contract, along with the selection of the FREMM project for the final round in the tender in Australia, confirms our global leadership in the design and construction of the most technologically advanced vessels and our ability to continuously innovate”.

The U.S. Navy down selected five ship designs to compete for the FFG(X) Frigate Program on February 16, 2018. To learn about the other designs, following this link.