French and Italian Horizon Frigates to get Mid-Life Upgrades

France and Italy representatives signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) of the four Horizon Frigates of the French and Italian Navies at the Paris Airshow.

Their modernization will be carried out by Naviris, the 50/50 owned joint venture by Fincantieri and Naval Group and Eurosam, a consortium formed by MBDA and Thales. A formal contract will be signed in a few weeks, by Naviris, Eurosam and OCCAR, representing Italy and France.

This step follows a feasibility study phase, which was signed in 2020 by Naviris as prime contractor and OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation). This study was the first stage of the project and it was mainly focused on the anti-aircraft defense system of the four vessels. It aimed at identifying and analyzing the modifications to be implemented on the French and Italian Horizon class Frigates to increase their capabilities until the end of their life cycle.

This cooperation will cover the overall modernization of the Frigates, with a focus on the anti-aircraft defense system (including the radars, weapons and associated Control and Command), the platform and combat system, and the electronic warfare system that will be common to both Nations.

Naviris will be in charge of work on the Combat System Modernization (Anti Air Warfare integration, new electronic warfare, new communication, new combat management system, upgrade and obsolescence treatment, new optronic) & also platform modernization (new ship management system, upgrade and obsolescence treatment), while Eurosam will modernize the anti-aircraft warfare chain (C2 PAAMS, new radars).

The Horizon Frigates were originally built between 2000 and 2010 in a joint program between Fincantieri and Naval Group, providing the Italian and French Navies with two first-class anti-air Frigates each.

Main characteristics of the four Horizon Frigates

• Length / beam overall: 153 m / 20.3 m
• Displacement / full load: 6,500 tons / 7,300 tons
• Accommodation: 210 (complement of 190 + 20 passengers)
• Range: 7,000 nm at 18 knots
• Maximum speed: 29 knots