Italy's Fincantieri and France's Naval Group are set to formally launch an industrial alliance to better serve the needs of the Italian and French Navies as well as the navies of other countries.
The alliance has received official support from both the Italian and French governments and is presently awaiting approval from the boards of directors of the two companies.
Fincantieri and Naval Group have established a joint venture as a first step towards the creation of the alliance.
Through the joint venture, Fincantieri and Naval Group intend to: jointly prepare offers for binational programmes and the export market; adopt a more efficient supply policy; jointly conduct selected research and innovation activities; and encourage cross-fertilisation between the two companies through the sharing of testing facilities/tools and expertise networks.
The companies are presently engaged in collaboration to provide the French Navy with four logistic support ships (LSS) based on the Italian Navy's Vulcano-class vessels that will be commissioned starting in September of next year.