Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia), the handover ceremony to the Italian Navy of the third High-Altitude Multipurpose Patrol Vessel (PPA), the Raimondo Montecuccoli (P432), took place.
The unit, the first in the Light Plus version, was commissioned to Fincantieri as part of the “Naval Program for the Protection and Safeguarding of the Maritime Defense Capability”, former law 147/2013 – stability law 2014, also known as the new naval law.
During the ceremony, in the presence of the crew and representatives of the Industry, the Commander of the Schools of the Italian Navy, Admiral Antonio Natale, the Director of NAVARM, Admiral Giuseppe Abbamonte, the Director of the Joint Organization for Cooperation in Armaments (OCCAR), Mr. Joachim Sucker, and the General Manager of the Fincantieri Naval Ships Division, Dr. Dario Deste, spoke.
Admiral Natale said in his speech: “This ship is the tangible example of a concrete synergy in a strategic sector for Italy and for its essential maritime vocation. The Montecuccoli will be an ambassador for the Navy, the Defense, the national industry, our technological sector, and, more generally, for the multifaceted Italian capabilities.”
Designed and built entirely in Italy, the Raimondo Montecuccoli is a concrete demonstration of the technological evolution and the capabilities of the Italian shipbuilding industry. It is the first PPA in the Light Plus configuration, which, compared to the Light version, features a state-of-the-art vertical cell missile system, an innovative fixed-face multifunction radar specifically designed for air defense, and an electronic countermeasures subsystem.
The ship is dedicated to the Renaissance condottiero Raimondo Montecuccoli, who lived in the 17th century and participated in the major military campaigns of the time. Enlisted at a young age and quickly becoming a figure of the highest profile thanks to the excellent qualities demonstrated on the field, he was never defeated as a commander in chief and held positions of absolute importance within the Empire. In his honor, a famous light cruiser belonging to the Condottieri class was named, which was delivered to the Regia Marina in 1935 and remained in service until 1964, becoming a true icon for the Italian Navy.
At the end of the ceremony, the symbolic “changing of the flag” marked the conclusion of the fitting-out and testing activities to begin the operational life of the Unit and its first crew, which will soon begin an intense training period with the hope of being able to soon operate in important international scenarios.
(via Italian Navy)
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