Last week, both the IV Defense Commission and the V Budget and Treasury Commission of the Chamber of Deputies approved the Government Act 333 concerning the ministerial decree for the multi-year A/R Programme SMD 21/2025 aimed at the development, acquisition, and multi-year logistic support of underwater vehicles and weapons for the missions assigned to the Naval Military’s Operational Raiders Group (GOI).
The programme’s goal is to develop, acquire, upgrade, and support from a logistic standpoint, special means of assault or underwater and surface incursion for the transportation of naval military raiders, for conducting special operations in a maritime environment, particularly in the underwater dimension, with the use of new sensors and weapon systems.
These are small-sized vehicles, designed and made with technology that allows totally covert operation with extremely precise navigation.
Specific modularity criteria, along with dimensions and ease of transportation, ensure a high degree of versatility in use and the capacity to integrate different weapon, discovery, and communication systems, as well as apparatuses and equipment functional to the type of mission to be carried out.
The programme also aims to integrate further automation elements and to adopt new technologies, “_with the purpose of retaining Italy’s leadership in the field of special maritime operations_” and decisively contributing to the current capabilities of protecting and defending underwater critical infrastructures.
These systems will be used in special operations in both national and international contexts, even supporting the operations of other ministries or governmental agencies.
Logistics support
The programme provides an integrated support system for its entire duration, with very short intervention times, required by national and NATO operational planning, also improving in-house support capacity, through cooperation between private industry and armed force technical personnel.
The Duration and Cost of The Program
The programme is conceived according to a multi-year development plan with an estimated duration of 11 years, anticipated to commence already in 2025 and estimated to conclude in 2035.
The financial burden of the programme is estimated at 240 million euros.
The first phase, being the subject of the approved measure, costs 110 million and is aimed at the development and acquisition of an initial supply of vehicles and their logistic support.
The completion of the programme, for the remaining total forecast value of about130 million, will be realized through subsequent measures, aimed at completing the planned acquisitions.
Notably, due to its high strategic national relevance, the programme as a whole does not have a connotation aimed at international cooperation; indeed, the upgrading and strengthening of the Special Carriers and their weapon systems are foreseen, increasing the effectiveness of the GOI missions and, in parallel, the protection, primarily, of the commercial and military activities of the Gulf of La Spezia, as well as underwater infrastructures.
Source: Government Act 333
Photo credit @Navy Military
