The Diplomat
The CEOs of Navantia (Spain), Fincantieri (Italy) and Naval Group (France), together with Naviris (France/Italy), have signed this Monday the initial agreement of the consortium regulating the execution of the second phase of the Modular and Multirole Corvette (MMPC) Project, formerly called the European Patrol Corvette (EPC).
According to Navantia in a press release, the agreement has been signed within the framework of the Euronaval fair held in Paris, following the selection by the European Commission in May 2024 of the proposal presented on November 22, 2023 by a consortium of three European shipyards and Naviris. This consortium is expected to be accompanied by the Greek engineering company HYDRUS.
The second phase of the MMPC Project aims to complete the design of the corvettes and integrate innovative technological blocks that will enable the vessels to host various systems and payloads and perform a wider range of tasks and missions.
Furthermore, the second phase of the project will encompass the start of production of the first two prototypes of the corvettes: a Long Range Mission (LRM) version and a Full Combat Mission (FCM) version that will constitute a basis for future national fleets of advanced corvettes with the ultimate goal of expanding the level of commonality, interoperability and standardisation between the different navies of the Member States and contributing to five key elements for European autonomy: Economy, Defence, Technology, Industry and Security.
For this new step, the co-financing commitment of Italy, Spain, France and Greece will reflect a shared investment in the common security and defence objectives outlined by PESCO and the European Commission.
