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Italy’s DDX destroyer deal opens a decade of naval spending
Italy has launched its DDX destroyer program through a contract valued at approximately €3.7 billion signed by Orizzonte Sistemi Navali and European procurement agency OCCAR in late September 2026. The agreement covers development, construction, logistics studies and initial in-service support for two next-generation destroyers, with roughly €1.3 billion in options included in the overall contractual scope. Orizzonte Sistemi Navali is jointly owned by Fincantieri, holding 51%, and Leonardo, holding 49%, and will lead the industrial effort. DDX is intended to renew the Italian Navy's high-end surface combatant fleet, but the contract does not mean the ships have been built or commissioned.