ROME – Italy has signed a €500 million deal to purchase its fourth and final U-212 NFS submarine to be built by a state-controlled Italian shipyard Fincantieri.
The acronym stands for Near Future Submarine. The new NFS vessels are intended to complement Italy’s four U-212 submarines and replace the four Sauro-class submarines that are about to be decommissioned.
The new purchases keep the total number of Italian submarines at eight, the number naval planners say is needed to patrol the increasingly crowded Mediterranean.
The new agreement will be managed by Europe-based contracting firm OCCAR and includes logistical support for the new submarine, Fincantieri said.
Fincantieri will deliver the first and second NFS submarines in 2027 and 2028 and this week started work on the third submarine at its yard in Muggiano, Italy, the company said.
While the first four U-212 submarines were built using German technology thanks to a partnership with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, the new platforms are a mix of German and Italian know-how, with Fincantieri acting as design authority.
The Italian company said it is now installing lithium batteries to replace traditional lead-acid batteries in the new submarines, increasing range.
Italian planners also introduced a fluoropolymer coating for the hulls of the new submarines, which reduces crust formation to reduce drag, while the ships’ hydrodynamics were upgraded over the U-212 model by changing the bow design .
