Virginio Fasan (F 591) is a Carlo Bergamini-class frigate of the Italian Navy. The vessel was constructed Fincantieri's La Spezia shipyard and was launched on 31 March 2012. The frigate has been deployed on EUNAVFOR missions to counter piracy and attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
 Virginio Fasan on 24 May 2023
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Italy | |
| Name | Virginio Fasan |
| Namesake | Virginio Fasan |
| Builder | |
| Laid down | 12 May 2009 |
| Launched | 31 March 2012 |
| Commissioned | 19 December 2013 |
| Homeport | La Spezia |
| Identification |
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| Motto |
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| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Carlo Bergamini-class frigate |
| Displacement | 6,700 tons |
| Length | 144.6 m (474 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 19.7 m (64 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 8.7 m (28 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) max |
| Range | 6,800 nmi (12,600 km; 7,800 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 201 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
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| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried |
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| Aviation facilities | Double hangar |
Development and design
editPlanning assumptions for the Italian Navy are ten FREMM-IT, four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) variants and six general purpose (GP) variants, at a cost of €5.9 billion. FREMM-IT will replace the Maestrale and Lupo-class frigates in service with the Italian Navy. In the 2013 Italian budget, the Italian government laid out the necessary financing for two more GP variants (FREMM-IT 7 & 8) and the contract was awarded in September 2013. On 15 April 2015, the Italian Parliament confirmed the deal between OCCAR and Orizzonte Sistemi Navali Spa (Fincantieri and Finmeccanica, since 2017 Leonardo) to begin building units 9 and 10, for 764 million Euros.
As of 16 April 2015, the Italian government approved funding for all ten FREMM-IT to be delivered to the Italian Navy.[1]
FREMM-IT 9 & 10 have undisclosed enhanced capabilities. All ten Italian FREMM-ITs have extended anti-air warfare capabilities, with SAAM-ESD CMS, Aster 30 and Aster 15 missiles for extended area defence. SAAM-ESD CMS use Leonardo MFRA, a 3D active radar (AESA), an evolved version of the Leonardo EMPAR PESA radar (previously embarked on Horizon-class destroyers and the aircraft carrier Cavour). Since the seventh FREMM-IT, there ships have been updated, such as new conformal IFF antenna and much more stealth response. Since the ninth FREMM-IT, SCLAR-H replaced with Leonardo ODLS-20. In 2017 the Italian FREMM refit started with the installation on each of two SITEP MS-424 acoustic guns.
Construction and career
editOn 31 March 2012, the ship, named after Virginio Fasan, was launched. The frigate was commissioned into the Italian Navy on 19 December 2013 and is based at La Spezia as part of 2° Comando Gruppo Navale.[2]
Virginio Fasan was deployed as part of EUNAVFOR's counter-piracy Operation Atalanta in 2017. On 18 November, the ship responded to a series of attacks on a container ship and a fishing vessel. The attacks on the container ship included the use of rocket-propelled grenades. Virginio Fasan located the assailants and a team of Italian marines were deployed via the frigate's helicopter to detain the pirates. A motor whaler and a skiff were captured and six people were detained by the marines.[3]
On 29 April 2024, while deployed to the Red Sea as part of the European Union's Operation Aspides, Virginio Fasan shot down a Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle with its 3-inch gun.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Bergamini Class". Fincantieri. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Fasan" (in Italian). Italian Navy. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "Italian Marines Detain Six Suspected Pirates". The Maritime Executive. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "ITS Virginio Fasan shoots down one UAV". EUVNAFOR Operation Aspides. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
