Contract for two new-generation DDX destroyers: meet the ‘thinking’ warships

The contract for two new-generation DDX destroyers is worth 3.7 billion to Fincantieri and Leonardo, through their joint venture Orizzonte Sistemi Navali. In the press release announcing the deal, the companies involved refer to it as a ‘generational leap’; it is, they add, ‘the official launch of one of the most significant programmes for the future of the Italian Defence Force’s naval component’. These are “a new generation of vessels designed to operate in maritime scenarios characterised by increasing complexity, rapid technological evolution and ever-greater integration between the various operational domains”. Delivery of the first and second vessels is scheduled for 2033 and 2035 respectively.

The Ddx-class platform, measuring 180 metres and with a displacement of 13,500 tonnes, also relies on cutting-edge digitalisation for ‘thinking ships’ – the Navis Sapiens concept developed by Fincantieri. These are therefore high-tech military vessels.

The main innovations planned for the platform include a direct current sub-network with an associated energy storage system, an innovative stabilisation system integrated with the steering system, new algorithms and methodologies for calculating thermal and electrical balances, and further digital enhancements to the Ship Management System.

Thanks to the new-generation SADOC 5 C5I system, the high-power, fully digital S-band AESA radar and the MBDA weapon system, the DDX vessel will be equipped with an IAMD (Integrated Air & Missile Defence) capability against unprecedented missile, ballistic and hypersonic threats, ensuring the full multi-domain interoperability that lies at the heart of the technology underpinning Leonardo’s Michelangelo project. The combat system will be complemented by the next-generation electronic warfare component developed by Elt Group, as well as artillery and close-in defence systems equipped with advanced smart munitions.