FREMM Rizzo Delivered to the Italian Navy
The frigate Rizzo was delivered to the Italian Navy at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia. It is the sixth vessel of the FREMM program – Multi Mission European Frigates – commissioned to Fincantieri within the international Italian-French program, coordinated by OCCAR (the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation). Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (51 percent Fincantieri and 49 percent Leonardo) is the prime contractor for Italy in the FREMM program, which envisions the building of 10 units, all already ordered.
Rizzo is the sixth unit built by Fincantieri including the combat system, the second in multipurpose configuration after the Carlo Bergamini, delivered to the Italian Navy in 2012. 144 meters long and with a displacement at full load of approximately 6,700 tons, the FREMM frigates represent technological excellence: designed to reach a maximum speed of 27 knots and to provide accommodation for 200 people (crew and staff), these vessels are able to always guarantee a high degree of flexibility and to operate in a wide range of scenarios and tactical situations.
The FREMM program, representing the Italian and European defence state of the art, stems from the renewal need of the Italian Navy line Lupo (already removed) and Maestrale (some already removed, other close to the attainment of operational limit) class frigates, both built by Fincantieri in the 1970s.
These units – which will become the backbone of the naval fleet over the next decades –contribute to the development of the tasks assigned to the Italian Navy, being able to operate in various sectors, from specific military purposes to those in favor of the community.