Posted on 05/03/2018 8:42:01 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The Italian Navy has sent a Fremm frigate, ITS Alpino, on a two-month cruise of North America intended to promote the ship’s design as a leading candidate in the US Navy’s FF(X) future frigate competition. (IT Navy photo)
Today, the Italian Navy’s European multi-mission frigate (FREMM) ITS Alpino sailed from the Mar Grande naval base in Taranto for a naval campaign that will take it to North America for the next two months.
ITS Alpino is the fifth FREMM ship delivered to the Italian Navy on 30 September 2016, the fourth in the "anti-submarine" version and fitted out with state-of-the-art and latest-generation technological systems.
This overseas campaign -- the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in the direction of the American continent, the confrontation with friendly and allied navies -- constitutes a valuable opportunity for training, to maintain high levels of readiness, and to strengthen relations with allied trans-regional authorities. ITS Alpino will return to Italy after about two months.
A naval campaign that can be considered strategic both for the possibility of projecting abroad the image of the Navy, of the Armed Forces and of the national system, and for the support provided to the international competitiveness of important national entities.
ITS Alpino will be a qualified and technologically-relevant presence in several countries with which Italy maintains important political-diplomatic relations. Economic and military cooperation activities, and the activities that will be carried out, are more generally part of the institutional tasks that the Navy provides for our country and our community, without interruption, in all areas of our strategic interest, thus ensuring a permanent naval presence aimed at sea-control, security of Sea lines of communication (SLOC), supervision of national maritime activities, deterrence and combating illegal activities on the high seas, international cooperation and training.
A campaign that can be considered relevant both for the possibility of projecting the image of the Navy, the Armed Forces and the country system in areas of unusual gravitation and for the support provided to the international competitiveness of important national realities.
In this context, there is also the important activity aimed at showing and making known the Unit's operational capabilities to delegations composed of members of the United States Congress and US Navy officers as part of the information process for the definition by the US Navy of a new class of frigates (US acquisition program called Future Frigate Program FFG (X)) designed to fill the capability gap between the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the Arleigh Burke-class DDGs.
This initiative of maritime projection and naval diplomacy is part of the broader project that aims to "make system" by integrating the operational capabilities of the crew with modern Italian manufacturing systems embarked on the ITS Alpino, built by the Fincantieri shipyard group which is the sole sponsor and partner of this campaign.
The overseas presence is also an opportunity to meet the numerous Italian communities residing abroad, and includes organizing cultural events and promoting the image of Italy and its excellence.
-ends-
Maybe they can stock up on cutlasses?
One lousy gun and it calls it self a warship!
How many guns do a Burke class destroyer or a Nimitz class aircraft carrier have?
Plus it doesn’t look all that big
It's a frigate. It's not supposed to be that big.
What is the propulsion? Speed? Cost? are the Italians big exporters of naval ships or is this something new for Italy? Looks very nice
Link at #20 is to the wiki page. Go look for yourself.
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