Greece has officially moved from political intent to binding commitment on acquiring two Italian FREMM frigates. Greek D...

Greece has officially moved from political intent to binding commitment on acquiring two Italian FREMM frigates. Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto oversaw the signing of an Implementing Arrangement in Rome on Tuesday, formally activating the transfer of the Carlo Bergamini (F-590) and the Virginio Fasan (F-591) to the Hellenic Navy. The Carlo Bergamini is scheduled to transfer to Greece in the first half of 2028, with the Virginio Fasan to follow in the first half of 2029. Pinning down those delivery dates had been the hardest part of the negotiations, according to To Vima, because Italy was reluctant to reduce its frontline surface fleet before receiving its own next-generation FREMM EVO vessels. The two frigates together carry an estimated price tag of around 460 million euros in their current configuration. Total costs, including weapons fits, upgrades, and support packages, could reach up to 700 million euros according to defense ministry estimates, though officials say the full ceiling may not be spent. Dendias said discussions with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri are already underway on modifications that will make the ships, in his words, "extremely powerful." The Greek Navy's goal is to align the FREMMs as closely as possible with its four incoming FDI frigates, standardizing missiles, ammunition, communications, and maintenance across the fleet. Options on the table include the number and type of Aster missiles, anti-ship missile selection, and fitting the Carlo Bergamini with a CAPTAS-4 towed sonar array. The Virginio Fasan already carries CAPTAS-4 and is optimized for anti-submarine warfare, while the Bergamini is a general-purpose warship. Both ships displace around 6,700 tons, stretch 144 meters in length, can exceed 27 knots, and are equipped with the ATHENA combat management system, Kronos radar, and 16 Sylver vertical launch cells for Aster missiles. Dendias described the two FREMMs alongside four FDIs and four modernized MEKO frigates as forming a new ten-ship core of high-capability surface combatants for Greece, designed to operate across the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond. He also said G...