ROME – Italy has signed a €500 million deal for the purchase of its fourth and final U-212 NFS submarine, which will be built by state-controlled Italian shipyard Fincantieri.
The new NFS ships stand for Near Future Submarine and are destined to serve alongside Italy’s four U-212 submarines and replace the four Sauro-class submarines that will soon be retired.
The new purchases will keep the total of Italy’s submarine fleet at eight – the number naval planners say is needed to patrol the increasingly crowded Mediterranean.
The new agreement will be managed by European-based contracting agency OCCAR and will include logistics support for the new submarine, Fincantieri said.
Fincantieri will deliver the first and second NFS subs in 2027 and 2028 and started work on the third this week at its Muggiano shipyard in 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 have additionally applied a fluoropolymer coating to the hulls of the new submarines, which reduces deposits and reduces drag. The hydrodynamics of the ships have also been improved compared to the U-212 model by adapting the design of the bow.
