Military Navy. Naval Group and Fincantieri to Form Joint Venture – Economy

French Naval Group (formerly DCNS) and Italian Fincantieri announced Tuesday evening that they have sealed an industrial and commercial alliance in the military navy sector. The first step will be the creation in 2019 of a joint venture controlled equally by the two groups and aimed at creating commercial and industrial synergies, says Reuters. Its objective will be to prepare offers for both Franco-Italian and export markets and streamline production to offer better value for money through cross-buying. Naval Group and Fincantieri are already engaged in an industrial collaboration to provide the French Navy with four Logistic Support Vessels (LSS) based on the Italian LSS model Vulcano.

The two groups are also examining the possibility of presenting a joint offer for the redesign of the French and Italian Horizon clbad frigates, with a common operational command system.

"A government-to-government agreement will be necessary to guarantee the protection of the sovereignty of the two countries, a smooth collaboration between the French and Italian teams and encourage greater coherence of the national programs that frame and support exports," added Fincantieri and Naval Group. in a joint statement. Not a small deal, given the recent tension in relations between French and Italian governments.