Fincantieri to construct 4th Constellation-class frigate for US Navy

Fincantieri’s US subsidiary, Marinette Marine (FMM), was awarded a multi-million dollar contract to build the fourth Constellation-class frigate for the US Navy.

As informed, the company will build the vessel under a $526 million contract.

The contract for the lead frigate and 9 option ships, signed in 2020, has a cumulative value of 5.5 billion dollars, including post-delivery availability support and crew training.

The vessel is based on the FREMM frigate platform, globally recognized as the most technologically advanced, and the backbone of a 10-unit program for the Italian Navy which Fincantieri is currently completing.

“Our commitment is to support the largest Navy in the world with a ship that represents the highest possible degree of innovation. We look specifically at the digital profile of the vessels, in terms of cybersecurity and data analytics, two fundamental fronts for the industrial competition of the future,” Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri, stated.

Construction on the first frigate, the future USS Constellation, began in late August last year in Marinette, Wis., and FMM is scheduled to deliver it in 2026.

The new frigates are designed to operate in both open ocean and littoral environments, as part of a Carrier or Expeditionary Strike Group or a Surface Action Group. The ships will be equipped with technologies and systems already in use today, which is expected to accelerate the timeline to get this new capability to the fleet.

Furthermore, the ships will aid the fleet by executing an array of missions, including anti-submarine warfare (ASW), surface warfare, electromagnetic warfare/information operations (EW/IO) and air warfare.

The company serves commercial and government customers in the US. FMM is committed to the Littoral Combat Ships program for the US Navy and the Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MMSC) program for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the US Foreign Military Sales plan.