Fincantieri has announced the launch of the lead ship of its new OPV class, Ugolino Vivaldi (P440), under the PPX programme, which draws from the PPA OPVs.
Italy’s first new corvette-sized OPV, Ugolino Vivaldi, has been launched by Fincantieri at Riva Trigoso shipyard. The new class of OPVs draw from the much larger and more heavily armed PPA (Thaon di Revel-class) OPVs. Due to the tradition of the Italian Navy, the OPVs will be collectively designated as Ugolino Vivaldi-class.
The PPX OPVs with a displacement of 2450 tonnes and a length of 97 m lean towards low-intensity missions like surveillance, combating illegal activities, and seabed security. Additionally, the ships can be used against sea pollution with an onboard oil skimmer.
The armament of PPX OPVs consists of a 76 mm STRALES naval gun with the capability to use VULCANO ASuW and DART air defence guided rounds and a pair of 30 mm RCWS. The ships are not fitted with VLS or surface-to-surface missiles. However, the ships have six torpedo tubes for DM2A4 or Black Shark, with the option to add a mine-laying system and torpedo countermeasures for ASW missions.
The bays of PPX can house two RHIB boats/USVs, one 10-ton class naval helicopter, and optionally a Class 2 UAV.
Another notable feature of the new OPVs is the ‘naval cockpit’ system, which reduces crew requirements for control, simplifying the workflow down to the level of a commercial aircraft, hence the naming. The same system is also present on the PPA OPVs.
