Italy’s new submarine program has passed critical design review, the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) has announced.
The milestone is a significant step in developing the new generation of submarines for the Italian Navy.
It validates the final design of the underwater vessel, demonstrating that it is mature and fully compliant with specific mission requirements.
OCCAR stated that the achievement proves that the country’s U212 near future submarine (NFS) is safe, maintainable, and reliable for the navy.
“According to OCCAR rules and high technological underwater military standards, these features have been fully addressed whilst considering budget, schedule and risk constraints,” explained the intergovernmental organization that facilitates joint armament programs between Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.
With the critical design review already passed, the submarine can now enter the manufacturing, integration, and trial phases.
The U212 NFS Program
The U212 NFS is considered Italy’s most ambitious and innovative submarine project.
It aims to secure adequate underwater spatial surveillance and control capacity for the Italian Navy.
The program also seeks to address future complex underwater operations scenarios.
The U212 will support freedom of navigation, anti-piracy, safeguarding maritime infrastructure, combatting terrorism, and defending external borders.
“The U212 NFS Program will carry out many different tasks for the benefit of Italy on a daily basis, responding to requests from the Italian government or our alliance partners, namely, NATO and the EU,” OCCAR stated.
