Fincantieri, Navantia and Naval Group on Wednesday, November 4, entered into an agreement establishing a consortium for phase two of the European patrol corvette (EPC) programme.
The second phase, known as EPC2, will complete the preliminary and detailed design of the vessel and integrate new technologies. The shipbuilders said the work will move the programme towards industrialisation.
EPC2 will develop a common full combat multipurpose (FCM) platform as the basis for a new class of modular and multirole patrol corvettes (MMPC). The companies said the design will allow participating navies, "to tailor the platform to their specific operational needs while maintaining high levels of interoperability, standardization and commonality."
The planned missions include monitoring maritime areas, patrolling offshore, escort, maritime security and protecting sea lines of communication.
Initial work covered concept development and an early ship design, and also advanced key technologies and reached agreement on shared standards and requirements. OCCAR signed the contracts for that phase in October 2023. It ran for 24 months and was worth €87 million.
The European Commission's project documentation describes EPC2 as a 48-month development effort with an estimated total cost of €288.3 million. The effort is intended to deliver a certified design and one prototype platform apiece for the FCM and long range multipurpose (LRM) versions.
Harbour testing is planned for both prototypes. Systems and components will be qualified at a facility on land.
Navantia and Fincantieri agreed in February to form a joint venture to run the project. Navantia joined the programme in 2021 through Naviris, the joint venture formed by Fincantieri and Naval Group.
Spain's Royal Decree 922/2026, published on October 30, provides €1.786 billion in zero-interest prefinancing for six Spanish-variant corvettes.
