The delivery of the fourth Multipurpose Combat ship (PPA) “Giovanni delle Bande Nere” took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia). The ceremony was attended, among others, by Vice Admiral Andrea Gueglio, Director of the Italian Navy Military Personnel Directorate, by Admiral Chief Inspector Giuseppe Abbamonte, Director of the Naval Armaments Directorate - NAVARM, and Mr. Joachim Sucker, OCCAR Director, welcomed by Attilio Dapelo, Senior Vice President Operations Naval Vessels Division, and Antonio Quintano, Director of the Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso-Muggiano.
This vessel, the first of the class in “full” configuration, is part of the renewal plan of the operational lines of the Italian Navy vessels, approved by the Government and Parliament under the aegis of OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l’Armement, the international organisation for cooperation on arms).
PPA characteristics
The PPA is a highly flexible ship with the capacity to serve multiple functions, ranging from patrol with sea rescue capacity to Civil Protection operations and first line fighting vessel. There are different configurations of combat system: starting from a “light” version for the patrol task, integrated for self-defence ability, to a “full” one, equipped for a complete defence ability.
The vessel is also capable of operating high-speed vessels such as RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) up to 11 metres long through lateral cranes or a hauling ramp located at the far stern.
- 143 metres long overall
- Speed more than 31 knots
- 171 persons of the crew
- Equipped with a combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion plant (CODAG) and an electric propulsion system
- Capacity to supply drinking water and electrical power to land
The PPA ships are built at the Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano with deliveries expected until 2026.
