Italian Navy Receives Final Anti-Submarine FREMM Frigate ‘Emilio Bianchi’

The Italian Navy has taken delivery of the multi-role frigate Emilio Bianchi, the tenth and final vessel built under Italy’s FREMM (European Multi-Mission Frigate) program, during a handover ceremony at Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard.

The delivery concludes a two-decade-long joint naval defense effort between Italy and France, coordinated through OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement). The Emilio Bianchi is the second vessel built in the Anti-Submarine Enhanced configuration, wrapping up the production of all ten planned FREMM frigates for Italy.

The FREMM program was launched in 2005 and included four General Purpose, four Anti-Submarine Warfare, and two Anti-Submarine Enhanced frigates. The first ship was delivered in May 2013.

Built at Fincantieri’s integrated Riva Trigoso and Muggiano shipyards, the Emilio Bianchi is 144 meters long, 19.7 meters wide, with a displacement of about 6,700 tons. The ship reaches speeds exceeding 27 knots and has a range of 6,000 nautical miles at 15 knots. It accommodates up to 200 personnel.

The vessel integrates systems from Fincantieri, Leonardo, MBDA, and Elettronica, designed for flexible deployment in multiple naval scenarios.

With the final FREMM unit now delivered, Fincantieri is progressing on two next-generation FREMM EVO frigates, scheduled for delivery in 2029 and 2030.