Italian Navy orders two additional Thaon di Revel-class patrol ships

The Italian Navy has awarded Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri a €700 million (US$820 million) contract for the construction of two additional Thaon di Revel-class multi-purpose offshore patrol vessels (pattugliatore polivalente d'altura; PPA).

The two new ships will be of the PPA "light plus" configuration, with each vessel having a smaller crew complement compared to their baseline Thaon di Revel-class sisters.

Each ship will have an LOA of 143 metres, a beam of 16.5 metres, a draught of 10.5 metres, and a crew complement of 90.

Deck space will be available for an 11-metre-long rigid inflatable boat that the ship's crew can use for at-sea interceptions and boardings. The RIB will be deployed into and recovered from the water via davits or a stern ramp.

A combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion arrangement will drive two controllable-pitch propellers to enable each PPA to reach a speed of 32 knots while low-speed sailings will utilise onboard electric motors.

Each ship's armament will include 76mm and 127mm naval guns, a 25mm close-range defence autocannon, and surface-to-air missiles. Unlike the standard PPAs, the light plus PPAs will be fitted for but not with torpedoes and surface-to-surface missiles.