Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri recently launched the seventh Thaon di Revel-class multi-purpose offshore patrol vessel (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura; PPA) ordered from the company by the Italian Navy. The ship will be named Domenico Millelire after an Italian naval officer who led the forces that defeated the French Republic fleet during the latter's attempted occupation of Sardinia in 1793.
Like its sisters, the future Domenico Millelire will be used for a range of missions including patrols, civil protection, and search and rescue (SAR). The completed PPA will have an LOA of 143 metres, a beam of 16.5 metres, a draught of 10.5 metres, and a crew complement of 135.
Deck space will be available for an 11-metre-long rigid inflatable boat (RIB) that the crew can use for at-sea interceptions and boardings. The RIB will be deployed into and recovered from the water via davits or a stern ramp.
A combined diesel and gas turbine (CODAG) propulsion driving two controllable-pitch propellers will allow the PPA to reach a speed of 32 knots while low-speed sailings will utilise onboard electric motors. The armament will meanwhile include 76mm and 127mm naval guns, a 25mm close-range defence autocannon, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship/land attack missiles, and torpedoes.
Leonardo-Finmeccanica will provide an array of guidance systems, a combat management system, radars, a cockpit-style integrated navigation management system that can be operated by only two crewmembers, an infrared search and track (IRST) sensor, a fire control system, identification friend or foe (IFF) antennae, and an advanced sonar that can detect divers and underwater saboteurs.
