Italy Signs €3.7B Contract for Two Next‑Generation DDX Destroyers

# What happened OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement) has awarded Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN) a contract worth about €3.7 billion for two next‑generation DDX destroyers for the Italian Navy. The contract covers development, production, logistic studies and Initial In‑Service Support (ISS). Deliveries are scheduled for 2033 and 2035.

# Who's responsible

# What the ships will do Italian surface combatants with a strong emphasis on integrated air and missile defence (IAMD). The programme highlights:

• A combat system built around Leonardo's SADOC 5 C5I and a high‑power, fully digital S‑band AESA radar.
• Integration of MBDA weapon systems to address missile, ballistic and hypersonic threats.
• High levels of digitalisation, automation and interoperability for operations within multinational forces.

# Platform and systems innovations The programme lists specific technical developments for the platform and its management systems:

• A DC power sub‑network with associated energy storage.
• An innovative stabilisation system integrated with steering.
• New algorithms and methods for calculating thermal and electrical balances.
• Further digital enhancements to the Ship Management System for platform management and system integration.

These features aim to support higher power sensors and weapons, automated management of ship systems, and smoother information sharing across domains.

# Industrial and programme context

# Timeline and programme scope The contract includes options worth about €1.3 billion. The first ship delivery is scheduled for 2033, the second for 2035. The contract includes initial in‑service support, and further logistic and production activities will be carried out through the planned subcontracts to the prime industrial partners.

# Practical implications For Italy's navy, the DDX programme aims to upgrade air and missile defence capacity with sensors, weapons and combat systems designed for integrated, information‑rich operations. For the domestic defence industrial base, the contract secures large‑scale work for Fincantieri, Leonardo and their supply chains through the 2030s.

# Bottom line This contract launches a multi‑billion euro effort to field two highly digitalised, IAMD‑focused destroyers by the mid‑2030s, managed through OSN with major work packages split between Fincantieri and Leonardo.