European shipbuilding giants join hands on Philippine Navy’s submarine project

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and its German counterpart thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) have signed an industrial cooperation agreement as part of a broader strategic partnership to provide the Philippine Navy with advanced submarine capabilities solutions.

The collaboration between thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Fincantieri brings together their extensive knowledge and modern technologies to deliver the most efficient and competitive solution for the U212 NFS class submarines, which Fincantieri is currently building for the Italian Navy at its shipyards in Italy.

The U212 NFS is an evolution of the HDW Class U212A submarine, featuring low acoustic, magnetic, and visual signature characteristics. TKMS is supplying essential key technologies and components.

The partnership also aims to strengthen local infrastructure and expand the operational capabilities of the Philippine Navy’s fleet. The package includes specialized industrial and operational training, to allow the Philippine Navy to rapidly build a well-structured and highly skilled submarine crew.

The cooperation between the Italian and German navies on the U212A submarines dates back to 1996. Building on their longstanding partnership, Fincantieri and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems extended their cooperation to include potential joint export projects.

“Building on our successful cooperation within the Italian submarine program, this Industrial Cooperation Agreement provides an excellent foundation for further joint projects in the underwater domain,” Oliver Burkhard, CEO of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, stated.

“With decades of experience in submarine construction, Fincantieri has developed a solid expertise in delivering high-performance naval solutions. This cooperation is a key milestone in promoting our international export strategy, leveraging the latest cutting-edge Italian and German technologies and quality,” Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri, added.

As part of the Philippines’ “Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act”, the partnership will support the Philippine Navy in developing a new naval base. This will be achieved by leveraging the design expertise of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Fincantieri.

Recently, the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) signed Amendment No. 6 to the U212 NFS program contract. This amendment adds a new engineering change proposal (ECP) focused on a study for the first batch of U212A Todaro-class submarines to determine which systems need to be upgraded using the latest technology developed for the Near Future Submarine program.