Now that the DDX is on contract [
OCCAR Press Release], it seems like a good time to post a round-up of all the additional details that have come with the news releases and renders.
The DDX procurement, managed by OCCAR on the behalf of the Italian Ministry of Defense, has been formally initiated with the signature of a contract with OSN, the JV between Fincantieri and Leonardo that has, to date, been responsibility for the delivery for the Italian ships of the Horizon and FREMM programs.
The total value of the contract is €3.7bn, with the initial signature activating the first section worth €2.4bn. This will cover related RDT&E costs for the DDX program, as well as the production of the lead ship of the class and initial in-service support. The second ship remains on option, making up the remaining €1.3bn of contract value.
These values are a considerable increase in cost over the previous value given for the entire DDX program (which is a value greater than contract cost to OSN), of €2.7bn. This likely reflects a mix of new technologies incorporated into the design compared to what was previously envisioned (new and novel SMS, CMS, radar suite, etc), design changes, armament increases, and inflation.
Additional details and an updated render are now available since my past review of information on the design,
which was posted in this thread in January.
The design grew marginally, now reported at a full 180 meters in length with a full load displacement in excess of 13,500 tonnes. Crew count is now described at 251, which falls neatly between previously reported figures of 200 core crew and accommodations of up to 300.
Curiously, the ship is described as having a range of "4,000 nmi" in press releases, with no speed given. Previous reporting indicated that range would be 6,000 nmi at 18 knots, and there are no major negative changes to the propulsion arrangement, which leaves this figure confusing. It is possible that it is a typo, or reporting a much higher cruising speed in excess of 20 knots?
The press release confirms that the DDX are using a new CMS, SADOC 5, which they describe as a 'C5I' capability - which follows from the reported emphasis on cyber resilience reported by RID earlier this year. It also confirms the use of a DC power subnetwork and previously mentioned ESS (Energy Storage System).
It is interesting to note that the description of the armament follows the vagueness that RID reported on this year, but takes it to a new extreme by saying only that it is equipped with an "MBDA weapon system." Visually, the armament is the same as last reported (80x VLS, 8x Teseo Mk.2/E, 3x 76/62, 4x 30mm Lionfish), though the fore 30mm Lionfish mount had now been shifted from atop the bridge to the bow, ahead of the forward VLS farm. It is interesting to note that there is a considerable amount of deckhouse between the forward cells and the 30mm gun position - possibly FFBNW space for either more VLS, or a HEL?
Delivery for the First-of-Class is set for 2033, while the Follow-On-Ship will now be delivered in 2035. This represents a four year delay from the previous targets of 2029 and 2031, respectively.
