Washington, D.C – Fincantieri Marine Group announced further details on its plans to adapt its “Best‐in‐Class” FREMM frigate, already in service for the Italian Navy since 2012, to design the U.S. Navy’s new guided‐missile frigate, FFG(X). FINCANTIERI will lead an experienced industry team, including Gibbs & Cox and Trident Maritime Systems, to design and build these multi‐mission ships capable of conducting anti‐surface, antisubmarine, and electronic warfare and air defense operations. As design partners, Gibbs & Cox, will leverage their experience modifying proven hull, mechanical and electrical systems to U.S. Navy standards. Trident Maritime Systems will serve as the Electric and Propulsion System Integrator with responsibility to design, specify and integrate these ship systems and components.  “We’ve assembled a world‐class team of partners to customize to American design standards and deliver an advanced, flexible and highly reliable ship to the U.S. Navy for their current and future needs,” said Francesco Valente, president and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Our American shipyards are tailor‐made for building small surface combatants and we have a strong, established and reliable U.S. supply chain.”

The FINCANTIERI FFG(X) design is based on FREMM, the most capable and modern off‐the‐shelf frigate available in the world for the range of capabilities required by the U.S. Navy. FINCANTIERI is building ten (10) FREMMs for the Italian Navy, six (6) of which have been delivered and have already accumulated 30,000 hours and 200,000 nautical miles in real‐world operations.

The FINCANTIERI‐led team would construct the FFG(X) ships at its American shipyards, including
Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) in Marinette, Wisconsin, which was modernized for serial
production in order to build the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Lockheed Martin recently awarded Gibbs & Cox, the nation’s leading independent naval architecture and marine engineering firm, a contract to support the Functional Design of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC).

A derivative of the Freedom-variant, Lockheed Martin’s MMSC was selected to fulfill the Royal Saudi Naval Forces’ (RSNF) multi-mission surface combatant requirement. In May 2017, the United States Navy and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for four MMSCs. This agreement represents the first sale of a U.S.-built surface combatant to another nation in more than 40 years.

“We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Lockheed Martin and extend our partnership to a new derivative and customer,” said Chris Deegan, Gibbs & Cox president and CEO. “G&C’s 85 years of surface combatant design experience has supported many of the world’s navies via Foreign Military Sales. We look forward to working with Lockheed Martin to design the Multi-Mission Surface Combatant to meet the needs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

The MMSC is a lethal and highly maneuverable multi-mission surface combatant capable of littoral and open ocean operation. It was designed from the keel up to confront modern maritime and economic security threats.

The MMSC takes the proven capabilities of the U.S. Littoral Combat Ship and the inherent flexibility of the Freedom-variant hull to meet the unique maritime requirements of international navies. The Multi-Mission Surface Combatant has a range of 5,000 nautical miles and can reach speeds in excess of 30 knots. It will be based on the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship’s 118 meter hull and it will utilize the same combined diesel and gas propulsion system.

About Gibbs & Cox, Inc. 
Gibbs & Cox is a global leader in maritime engineering and design, with nearly 7,000 vessels built to our designs since 1929. Gibbs & Cox supports commercial and military clients in the U.S. and internationally across all phases of marine design, construction, and life cycle management.  Independent and privately held, Gibbs & Cox is headquartered in Arlington, VA, with offices in New Orleans, LA; Chesapeake and Newport News, VA; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA and Canberra, ACT, Australia.

About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.