Italy has initiated a study to assess the integration of MBDA’s Naval Cruise Missile system onto its FREMM ships to enhance the country’s deep strike capabilities.
According to the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, the international organization that oversees FREMM, the delivery of two ships with the potential deep-strike upgrades, dubbed FREMM EVO, is slated for June 2029 and June 2030.
Luigi Durante, OCCAR Horizon program manager, signed off on the order for the study on behalf of the Italian government, working with Orizzonte Sistemi Navali with support from MBDA.
Joint Defense Project
The FREMM program is a joint defense project between Italy and France to develop a new generation of multipurpose frigates to ensure their navies’ capabilities meet their evolving operational requirements. It has developed three versions of the FREMM: anti-submarine warfare, anti-air warfare and general-purpose vessels.
The program will construct 18 ships, eight for France and 10 for Italy, with a final delivery date of 2025. The Italian Navy’s FREMM frigates, also known as the Bergamini class, are manufactured by Fincantieri at its Riva Trigoso-Muggiano shipyard. The French Navy variant, known as the Aquitaine class, is built by Naval Group in Brittany.