Fincantieri’s WASS secures over €200 million Saudi contract for MU90 lightweight torpedoes

By Martin Chomsky (Defence Industry Europe)

Fincantieri said its subsidiary WASS Submarine Systems has secured a contract worth more than €200 million from the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to supply MU90 Lightweight Torpedoes, marking the largest order in WASS’s 150-year history and a new record following a recent contract with the Indian Navy. The agreement was announced at the World Defence Show in Riyadh by WASS Chief Executive Andrea Adorni and Ibrahim bin Ahmed al-Suwayed, Deputy Minister of Armaments and Procurement, in the presence of Fincantieri Chief Executive and Managing Director Pierroberto Folgiero and other Saudi defence officials.
Photo: EuroTorp.

Fincantieri said its subsidiary WASS Submarine Systems has secured a contract worth more than €200 million from the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to supply MU90 Lightweight Torpedoes, marking the largest order in WASS’s 150-year history and a new record following a recent contract with the Indian Navy. The agreement was announced at the World Defence Show in Riyadh by WASS Chief Executive Andrea Adorni and Ibrahim bin Ahmed al-Suwayed, Deputy Minister of Armaments and Procurement, in the presence of Fincantieri Chief Executive and Managing Director Pierroberto Folgiero and other Saudi defence officials.

 

The programme will be managed from WASS’s facility in Livorno, with deliveries scheduled between 2029 and 2030, and includes logistic support services for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. The MU90, a third-generation lightweight torpedo already in service with the Italian navy and more than 10 other countries, is designed for anti-submarine warfare and can be deployed from surface vessels and fixed or rotary wing aircraft.

Fincantieri said the deal is the first contract signed directly by WASS with the Saudi Ministry of Defence and described it as a foundation for future cross-selling opportunities in a key market for the Group. The agreement follows the opening in 2024 of Fincantieri Arabia for Naval Services in Riyadh and builds on partnerships with Saudi institutions including the Saudi Red Sea Authority and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

 

 

Pierroberto Folgiero said: “This contract represents a milestone for WASS and for the entire Fincantieri Group. It confirms the technological excellence and reliability of our underwater systems, as well as our ability to operate as a trusted partner in highly strategic and complex defense programs. This achievement concretely accelerates our industrial presence in Saudi Arabia, a key market for the Group, and embodies our long-term commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s forthcoming naval capabilities through advanced solutions, industrial cooperation and sustained local engagement with and end-to-end approach.”

 

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