An Italian Navy warship departed Taranto earlier this month for a deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
Giovanni delle Bande Nere, the Italian Navy's fourth Thaon di Revel-class patrol ship, will first sail through the Suez Canal to reach the Indian Ocean.
Over a span of approximately six months, the ship will visit about a dozen ports in Egypt, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Guam, and Hawaii. While in Hawaii, she will participate in the multinational naval exercises Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) and Pacific Dragon.
RIMPAC's 30th edition will be held between June 24 and July 31 and will involve over 40 surface ships and submarines and 140 aircraft from 31 participating countries.
Pacific Dragon will meanwhile focus on integrated air and missile defence drills, particularly improving tactical and technical coordination and interoperability.
As with the Italian Navy's other Thaon di Revel-class ships, Giovanni delle Bande Nere boasts an array of combat systems including a cockpit-style integrated navigation management system that can be operated by only two crewmembers.
