Italy signs €317 million Fincantieri submarine contract; France offers Lithuania advanced patrol ships

The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri signed an annex worth about €317 million to extend the U212 NFS submarine programme for the Italian Navy. The amendment adds new anti‑torpedo capabilities, lithium‑ion batteries and an upgraded combat management system, and moves the delivery of the fourth submarine forward to 2032, enabling the navy to receive one new boat each year from 2029.

French defence contractor Naval Group has presented Lithuania with an offer for multi‑purpose offshore patrol vessels (MP‑OPV) based on the Belgian‑Dutch rMCM mine‑destroyer design. The ships will feature a 76 mm gun, vertical‑launch missile systems for air defence and anti‑ship missiles, and are part of the broader Shield Lab initiative, which includes a memorandum of understanding with Lithuanian research institutes. The MoU was signed on 1 July at the French embassy in Vilnius, and if selected the vessels could be built in Klaipėda.