Intermarine, with the role of leader of the Temporary Grouping of Companies, is the design authority of the Naval Units and will provide the platform system; Leonardo is the design authority and supplier of the combat system.
The contract is the result of a process characterized by massive investments in research and development on new materials and innovative and cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. It follows intense preliminary studies’ activity following the contract signed in 2021 between Intermarine and the Directorate of Naval Armaments focused on “Risk reduction studies and definition of the NGM Vessel project”.
Thanks to the New Generation Minehunters program, the Italian Navy will rely on innovative Minehunters with the most modern construction techniques and advanced combat system based on high level of integration and automation of operations. The New Generation Minehunters will represent a unique and most modern solution worldwide in terms of operational capabilities and cutting-edge technologies in the specialistic sector of seabed surveillance and protection of critical underwater infrastructures.
The program aims to avoid the capability gap and start the enhancement of the National Mine Countermeasures National Component at a time marked by increasing international tensions and growing threats posed in the maritime domain, above and under the surface, as experienced in the recent ongoing conflicts in the areas of national strategic interest (Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Baltic Sea).
Due to the exclusive characteristics of the hulls (resistance to shocks generated by underwater explosions and low magneto-acoustic signature), and to the operational potential offered by the most modern combat system technologies—such as mine hunting sonar, command and multi-domain control system including integrated management of unmanned vehicles—the New Generation Minehunters will be able to perform a wide spectrum of missions. In addition to the constabulary roles of search and clearance operations, the modern assets will carry on the so-called seabed surveillance operations for the control and protection of critical underwater infrastructures (i.e., oil & gas pipelines and maritime data networks) and the protection of cultural heritage and the marine environment.
With a length of approximately 63 meters and a displacement of approximately 1,300 tonnes, the NGM/C will be distinguished by their capacity for conducting Mine Countermeasures operations operating inside the minefields, guaranteeing the safety of the crews and using different types of autonomous vehicles as force multipliers and capability gap fillers.
Due to their technical and operational characteristics, the New Generation Minehunters will be the most innovative Mine Countermeasures Units in the world, reaffirming Italy’s role as a leading country in terms of technology and doctrine in the sector of Mine Warfare and Underwater Domain. In an international context in which all the navies of NATO and of the most advanced countries must renew their fleets of conventional minehunters, the NGM program will undoubtedly represent a game changer, a source of interest and potential for export and international cooperation.
The Vessels will be constructed at the Intermarine shipyard facilities in Sarzana (La Spezia), with significant employment repercussions, leading to a significant increase in the company workforce. The entire combat system, composed of the cyber-resilient SADOC 4 command and control system, advanced radar and electro-optical sensors, a new broadband sonar with mine detection and classification capabilities, as well as an integrated multi – communications bandwidth and data link to ensure the highest and most effective level of interoperability, will be produced and supplied by Leonardo.
