Italian Navy presents fourth Type 212A submarine | World Defense

Italian Navy presents fourth Type 212A submarine

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Luca Peruzzi, Genoa, Italy - IHS Jane's Navy International
08 July 2015
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The Italian Navy's new Type 212A Todaro-class AIP-capable submarine Romeo Romei. Seen here preparing for launch, the boat is scheduled for handover to the navy in September 2016. Source: Luca Peruzzi

Key Points

  • Italy's fourth Todaro-class Type 212A submarine is presented officially, in preparation for launch
  • Romeo Romei is the last of a pair of batch two boats ordered by the defence ministry in April 2008
The Italian Navy officially presented for launch its fourth Todaro-class Type 212A air independent propulsion (AIP) conventional submarine, at a ceremony at Fincantieri's Muggiano shipyard on 4 July. While the ceremony marked the submarine's official launch, IHS Jane's understands that the boat will enter the water for the first time in mid-July.

Named Romeo Romei (S 529), the boat is the last of a pair of batch two 212As ordered by the Italian defence ministry in April 2008, under a joint programme with Germany for the acquisition and support of a new submarine. Under this arrangement, Italy has already received the batch one boats Salvatore Todaro (S 526) and Sciré (S 527); the lead batch two boat Pietro Venuti (S 528) was launched on 9 October and is scheduled to enter service in December 2015.

" Romei is planned to complete fitting-out and to conduct harbour acceptance trials [between] the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, when sea acceptance trials will begin, in order to be delivered in September 2016," said Lieutenant Fabio Casamassima, Romeo Romei 's commanding officer, at the ceremony. "We will conduct a similar acceptance tests plan to Pietro Venuti ," he added. This plan includes 10 test launches of the new WASS Black Shark Advanced (BSA) heavyweight torpedo.

Pietro Venuti began sea acceptance trials at the end of April 2015, and has successfully completed the first two of a planned eight BSA firings, noted the submarine's commanding officer Commander Giuseppe Galeandro. "The boat is expected to conduct fuel cell-based Air Independent Propulsion long-endurance tests as well as degaussing," he added: these tests will take place later in 2015 on the navy's Augusta range.

The navy's batch two boats differ from the first batch through having received a series of platform and system enhancements (although emphasis has been placed on retaining the maximum level of logistics and maintenance commonality with the first batch). The most significant enhancements include the Atlas Elektronik DBQS 40 electro-acoustic suite, which has been updated to the fully digitised CSU 90-138 version; the OMS 100 optronic surveillance mast; and the Kongsberg MSI-90U Mk 2 submarine combat management system (CMS), which offers the ability to control the boats' periscopes from the CMS consoles.

The navigation system has also been improved, with the installation of ECDIS digital cartography. The communications suite has been augmented with the addition of an SHF-band SATCOM-dedicated mast and Link 16 Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol-C (JREAP-C) capabilities. The Indra MRBR 800 has been installed as the electronic support measures (ESM) system.

Italian Navy presents fourth Type 212A submarine - IHS Jane's 360
 
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