European Patrol Corvette (EPC or PPX) is a Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project that was adopted by the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...

on 12 November 2019. The objective is to design and develop a new class of

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

. The project is coordinated by Italy, with France, Spain and Greece participating and Portugal as an observer. In December 2021, it was reported that Norway and Denmark had also joined the project. The ships will have a conventional hull of different dimensions, armament and propulsion systems. The EPC will have at least two versions: * Combat variant (reported Italian preference): 3D radar and combat management systems, medium/short-range

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

s (SAM), anti-

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

countermeasures, envisaged top speed: ; * Long-range patrol variant (reported French preference): 3D radar and combat management systems, medium/short-range SAM, envisaged top speed: Other sources had earlier suggested that three variants were to be considered: * EPC optimised for anti-surface (ASuW) and

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

(AAW) warfare with the possibility of

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

(ASW) and with self-defence capabilities * EPC optimized for anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and designed with oceanic reach (range of at ). * EPC optimized for blue-water (offshore) patrol missions Whatever the configuration and variants, as of 2022 the participating member states aim to potentially sign a contract as early as 2025 and the keel laying of the first ship to take place in 2026 and delivery starting in 2030. In 2022, it was indicated that the project would receive a further 200 million Euro from the European Union's defence fund (EDF).

Participants

Member states: Companies: * NAVIRIS (

Joint-Venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

and

Naval Group Naval Group is a major French industrial group specialized in naval defense design, development and construction. Its headquarters are located in Paris. Heir to the French naval dockyards initiated in 1631 by Cardinal Richelieu and to the Direc ...

) *

Indra Sistemas Indra Sistemas, S.A. () is a Spanish information technology and defense systems company. Indra is listed on the Bolsa de Madrid and is a constituent of the IBEX 35 index. Indra is organized around three business areas: information technologies, ...

Navantia Navantia is a Spanish state-owned shipbuilding company, which offers its services to both military and civil sectors. It is the fifth-largest shipbuilder in Europe and the ninth-largest in the world with shipyards around the globe. The heir to t ...

Expected users

* **Replaces:

Cassiopea ''Cassiopea'' (upside-down jellyfish) is a genus of true jellyfish and the only members of the family Cassiopeidae. They are found in warmer coastal regions around the world, including shallow mangrove swamps, mudflats, canals, and turtle gra ...

Sirio The Hitachi Sirio (Italian for Sirius, formerly sold as the AnsaldoBreda Sirio) is a low-floor tram built by Hitachi Rail Italy (formerly AnsaldoBreda), a Japanese-Italian manufacturer of trains, trams and light-rail vehicles. It can be ordered ...

ships * **Supplements: Serviola, Infanta Elena Classes * ** Supplements/Replaces:

Floréal Floréal () was the eighth month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the Latin word ''flos'', which means ''flower''. Floréal was the second month of the spring quarter (''mois de printemps''). It started 20 April ...

Class *

References

External links

Pesco

Italian design

French design

Spanish design
{{Common Security and Defence Policy

Intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

Corvette classes Stealth ships

Participants

Expected users

See also

References

External links