ROME\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Senior officials from Italy’s defense industry and armed forces have issued an unusual appeal for closer cooperation between Italian and French shipyards that could lead toward what is being described in Italy as a “naval Airbus.”
Speaking at the conference, Italy\u2019s chief of general staff, Gen. Claudio Graziano, said that “in the future there will be a greater need to find the right balance between the protection of national competitiveness and an ever greater cooperation and integration at European level.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adm. Matteo Bisceglia, Italy\u2019s head of naval procurement, criticized Europe\u2019s “fractured” European naval industry and praised Italy\u2019s decades of cooperation with French industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That cooperation has not always been smooth. Differences on design work relating to the joint FREMM frigate program mean France and Italy have built ships that are the same type on paper, but differ in reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of mounting joint export campaigns, they have competed to sell FREMMS to the same countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A joint effort to build torpedoes has also broken down over disagreements regarding control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fincantieri signed a \u20ac3.8 billion (US $4.3 billion) contract to sell seven naval vessels to Qatar in June, but not before France made a serious attempt to scupper the deal and convince Qatar to purchase French FREMM frigates instead of the Italian vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fincantieri may feel it now has a better hand to negotiate a partnership with DCNS following the Qatar deal. The firm is also benefiting from a\u00a0\u20ac5.4 billion shipbuilding program launched by Italy, which will see the construction of a new landing helicopter dock and new so-called PPA multi-purpose vessels. Fincantieri is also a successful producers of civilian cruise ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bisceglia\u00a0said he had not ruled out possible interest from France in the PPA design, saying that if France joined the program there would be “notable advantages in terms of economies and technology.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That possibility was highlighted by a report on European shipyard integration put out in September by the Centro Studi Internazionali, the Rome think tank which held the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report argued that an evolution of the PPA design might fight the bill for the French Navy\u2019s new Fregate di Taglia Intermedia program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite tough competition between the countries in recent export campaigns, the future could see “important synergies” in overseas sales, the report argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any alliance would not touch France\u2019s submarine activity, given that it was central to France\u2019s nuclear deterrent, the report stated. Italy, for its part, enjoys strong ties with Germany\u2019s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, with which it has built a series of submarines using German air-independent propulsion technology, the report added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seeking ties with the UK\u2019s naval industry would serve little purpose, the report stated. “The chances for collaboration are currently minimal,” it said. “For years, UK shipyards have hardly been present in the export market and substantially live off [Ministry of Defence] programs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The timing of the report chimes with moves by Italy, France and Germany to revive plans for a more unified European military and a more integrated industrial base following plans to leave the European Union by the UK, which has long opposed such joint military planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report said an Italian-French naval tie-up would be better able to secure future EU funds for defense industry investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fincantieri’s CEO said that any talks on a “naval Airbus” would not be held exclusively between Italy and France, but would include all European states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We are talking to everyone,” Bono said. He then cited the recent shortlisting by Australia of firms to build nine new frigates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In Australia there are three European firms shortlisted\u00a0\u2014\u00a0BAE, Navantia and us\u00a0\u2014\u00a0which shows you there is a problem,” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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