Italy confirms plans for four new submarines

摘要

The Italian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed plans to procure four new submarines. The navy will now maintain its current force level of eight boats, an increase over the stated requirement for six hulls. Noting that Italy will renew its submarine fleet with "a one-to-one substitution of [its] four Sauro-class" diesel-electric submarines (SSKs), Captain Maurizio Can-narozzo - submarine programme officer in the MoD's national armaments directorate - told the 'Undersea Defence Technology' (UDT) conference in Bremen, Germany, that the aspiration is for a contract to be signed in 2018.