We are now near the Fincantieri booth as the Italian shipbuilder unveiled at this event the brand new Frame Evo scale model, they are showcasing it for the very first time.

I am joining Luca Peruzzi, the Naval Editor at EDR and he was previously working for the official magazine of the Italian Navy.

And we are going to focus on this vessel as we wrote in the Naval News, it is the most advanced frame to date, so very interesting frigate design to me at least.

Luca, good morning, great to have you on the Naval News video.

Hi Xavier, happy to present you the new design of the Frame Evo.

Basically what the Italian Navy would like to have from this ship is putting new technologies on board of the, I would say, the current frame design, putting all the new technology that comes from the Legge Navale, which I mean all the combat systems, weapon systems and electronic warfare, etc., which is on the PPA, well now it's called multi-purpose combat ship, and so here we have the frame, basic hull and propulsion, while the superstructure were modified to accommodate all the combat systems coming from the PPA.

So to do that, the Orizonte Sistemi Navali, or the joint venture between Fincantieri and Leonardo, has come out with a design where the superstructure are divided in two blocks.

In this way you can see that both in the front and the back they have allocated all the equipment that is on the PPA main integrated mast in the bow area.

So we have what will be new in this ship, more than the combat system, is also the Italian development, which means electronic warfare and especially the new threats coming from the Red Sea lessons, so it means counter-USB or counter-US systems, and obviously the most advanced platform, which I mean regarding unmanned systems.

So other than the superstructure, which has been modified to accommodate the new electronics, the new ships will also have an unmanned system, surface, air and underwater, plus an electronic warfare capability, which has counter-UV capabilities.

So looking to the new design, we see that the FRAMEVO has got the dual band radar system, which means C and X band, coming from Leonardo.

Then it applies also the MBDA, some SDPPA, because it's an evolution coming from the PPA about the air defence missile systems.

And if you see in the front, we can see that there is the vertical engine system coming from Navagroup, the A-50 for the Aster family, but there is also the space behind for accommodating other VLS.

Yesterday, the Italian Navy, well the OCAR, because the ships is under the management in terms of programme by OCAR, has awarded to OCEANEN the contract for the risk reduction studies regarding the introduction of the A-70 VLS on board the ship.

What does it mean?

That this ship will have the capability to also launch for the future strike missile.

There is long activities between the Italian Navy and the French Navy and industries to put on this ship the naval cruise missile, what the French Navy called the cruise naval, which will interest and there are activities ongoing to participate to the same programme.

Other than a strike capability, we have a big more capable air defence capability also against a tactical ballistic missile, thanks to the dual band radar.

Then we have, as explained, a new electronic warfare systems or suite, which counter USB capability.

Yesterday, OSN has awarded to ELETRONICA or ALTGROUP, as more known now, the contract for developing this new suite, which is very advanced in terms of both electronic warfare and counter drone, and which has new technologies on board, especially conformer antennas for the active part.

Moreover, obviously, the third main point is regarding the introduction of amended systems, which are in development for the Italian Navy, and this will have all the latest development in terms of enlarging the situational awareness around the ship and protecting even other ship against any kind of threat coming from the underwater.

What about, that was very thorough, Luca, thank you.

What about the anti-submarine warfare suite?

Of course, yes.

There is also, it was already introduced on the last two ships.

The last two ships is a combination between what we call a general purpose or multipurpose ship, mainly for anti-surface warfare.

And, but on the last two, they combined this capability with the same anti-submarine warfare capability offered by the dedicated frame, Italian frame, as the French has got the same.

Both the Navy has decided to go for a Thales suite, very advanced with variable depth sonar, the CAPTAS.

So this ship maintains the same capability of the anti-submarine warfare.

So it's a combination between air defense and anti-submarine warfare.

And obviously, it is the same suite of the current anti-submarine warfare, Italian Navy frame, including the VDS, the hull mounted in this boat mounted sonar and the multi-beam echo sounder, which complete the whole anti-submarine warfare capability.

Which at this point, we can say that between the Italian, but more on the French has got more advanced anti-submarine warfare capability.

All right, Luca.

Well, again, very interesting ships.

If we try to go higher and look at the bigger picture, observers may notice that Italian Navy vessels are getting more armed, more weaponized because of frame EVO.

During this event, this exhibition, Fincantier unveiled the PPA EVO or PPA 2.0, also with more weapons and more capabilities.

In the future, there will be the DDX program in Italy.

What's leading to this trend, do you think, for the Italian Navy?

New threats?

Yes, basically new threats, new missions.

I mean, we know that there is new threats coming from the air.

I mean, tactical ballistic missile, but also hypersonic missile.

On the other side, there is more threats coming from the surface and the underwater.

So that means that they have to enhance, as always, everybody through development of the current ship.

So Fincantier has just presented yesterday the PPA 2.0 or PPA EVO, where basically the ships are enhanced through the addition of new weapon systems, the capability of unmanned systems, as well as other kind of payloads that they need.

In addition to the missile, the VDS that they have in front, the PPA has got two area, one admin ships and one on the rear flight deck.

To enhance the weapons capability, the admin ship area, they put a new structure, very simple, where they allocate new VLS.

So according to what we see from Fincantieri, the PPA EVO could accommodate up to 64, I would say, weapons in VLS A-50 or A-70.

And obviously, it's already on the ship, the dual band radar.

So what the Italian wants is more combat capabilities, more situation awareness or unmanned, I mean all the under surveillance, but the crew have to remain the same.

And land attack with naval cruise missile.

Yes, and obviously, the other point will be for the future, land attack.

And if they will go on with the naval cruise missile, the next step will have the new program for the joint FSW between France, UK and Italy.

And we know that they announced that they spoke here at Euronaval that we will see development by the beginning of next year.

All right, Luca.

Thank you very much.

Thanks very much, Yves-Xavier.