ROME - Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri on May 15 handed over the first of four patrol vessels it is building for the Iraqi Navy under an 80 million euro ($108.7 million) contract signed in 2006.
The vessel, called the Fateh, was built at Fincantieri's Riva Trigoso yard and delivered at a ceremony at the firm's La Spezia yard attended by Gen. Babaker Baderkhan Al Zibari, the Iraqi defense chief of staff. The other three vessels will be delivered in three-month intervals.
Fincantieri said in a statement that the Fateh will immediately start patrol work in Iraq's 58-kilometer Exclusive Economic Zone, as well as carry out research and salvage work, ship inspections and firefighting. The four vessels together will form the core of the Iraqi Navy, the company added.
The vessels, based on Diciotti-class vessels built for the Italian Coast Guard, have a crew of 38, measure 53 meters by 8 meters, and have a top speed of 23 knots. Propulsion has been supplied by Italian firm Isotta Franchini.
The contract includes logistics support and crew training, which will be undertaken with the support of the Italian Navy.
The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is ready to test a few components that soldiers may have in their hands by 2010.
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