PPA1 (Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura), named after «Paolo Thaon di Revel» (P430), sailed its first nautical miles in the blue waters of the Gulf of La Spezia on 12th November 2019. The First Sea Going (FSG) is a crucial contractual milestone towards the delivery of the ship to the Italian Navy (FOAR), scheduled for May 2021.
«Paolo Thaon di Revel» (P430) is the First of Class (FOC) PPA in Light configuration. During the FSG, several platform systems/equipment installed on-board have been set up and successfully tested.
The PPA contract was signed on May 2015; only 4 years and a half have elapsed before the FOC FSG, a worldwide remarkable achievement for OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement) as contracting authority, given the innovative character of this vessel. PPA1 is expected to complete the sea trials in March 2021 and to be delivered to the Italian Navy in May 2021.
The first four ships (seven under current contract) are currently in the production stage. The second one, also in Light configuration, will be named after the Venetian Doge «Francesco Morosini», and will be launched in March 2020.
PPA – Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura
The PPA Programme is an innovative Multipurpose Patrol Ship Programme for Italy. PPA characteristics meet the Italian concept of «Multi-Purpose by Design», a model, shared with the NATO Community, that will allow these ships to be able to cope with dynamic and complex scenarios, as well as to carry out many profiles of operations.
These units, fully interoperable with NATO and EU partners, will be more versatile than the present generation of ships, benefiting from an extensive use of the modularity concept. They are conceived, since the beginning of the design phase, with enhanced “dual use” features, fit for all military tasks and able to intervene also during peace time, supporting Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Assistance Operations.
The PPA will have a smaller environmental footprint, by further reducing the polluting emissions, also by adopting new generation bio fuel and electric propulsion. Some characteristics deserve a special mention: high flexibility and level of innovation, very high speed, long endurance, resilience and seaworthiness, manoeuvrability, modularity, high level of integration and automation, in other words better suited to face the challenges of the 21st century. PPAs will be able to be rapidly deployed at long distances in a broad spectrum of emergency situations, becoming the backbone of the Italian Navy.
The PPA Programme includes Development and Production of 10 ships (seven plus an option for another three) and the In Service Support for ten years. Based on a common platform, PPAs will be delivered in three configurations with incremental capabilities:
- LIGHT (2 ships): this version has a complete set of artillery;
- LIGHT PLUS (3 ships): version similar to ‘LIGHT’ but adds a missile firing capability with actuators planned also for ballistic missile defence;
- FULL (2 ships): able to carry out tasks in all warfare areas such as Anti-Air (AAW), Anti-Surface (ASuW) and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW).
LIGHT and LIGHT PLUS have been developed with the «fitted for» approach: every system on the FULL can quickly be deployed also on LIGHT and LIGHT PLUS, facilitating operational flexibility and growing capabilities during the Ships life.
The delivery of the First of Class, in Light configuration, is planned in 2021 and 2024 for the first in Full configuration (FOC F).
The PPA Programme was integrated into OCCAR in 2015.
PPA Technical Information
| Overall Length | 133 m/436 feet |
| Width | 16,5 m/54 feet |
| Displacement | ~ 6,000 tonnes |
| Maximum Speed | 32 knots/37 mph/59 km/h |
| Autonomy | 5,000 NM/5,754 miles/9,260 km at 15 knots/17 mph/28 km/h |
| Crew | 145 people |
| Accommodation | 181 |