Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri will acquire Leonardo’s subsidiary, Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS), which is responsible for underwater systems development.
The acquisition will give Fincantieri direct access to acoustic sensing technologies, which is expected to give the Italian shipbuilder an advantage in the market.
The acquisition, valued at a substantial €300 million, could potentially see an additional €115 million based on growth potential expectations, underlining the financial significance of this deal.
Fincantieri is known for building the Italian Navy’s FREMM frigates and working with the U.S. on the Constellation-class frigates, which are based on the former in terms of design. The firm is also building the Thaon di Revel-class OPVs for the Italian Navy and Al Zubarah-class corvettes for the Qatari Navy.
Leonardo’s underwater systems subsidiary WASS has developed the Black Shark heavyweight torpedo for submarines and, under the EuroTorp consortium, jointly developed the MU90 lightweight impact-type torpedo with France.
Fincantieri Acquires Leonardo’s Underwater Subsidiary
