On May 3, 2026, the Italian Navy ‘s fourth Thaon di Revel-class Multi-purpose Combat Ship, ITS Giovanni delle Bande Nere (P 434), departed Taranto Naval Base for Indo-Pacific region deployment.
The multi-purpose combat ship (MPCS, Multi Purpose Combat Ship), already known as Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA), Giovanni delle Bande Nere (P 434), the fourth unit of the “Thaon di Revel” class and the first in the “PPA Full” multi-role configuration with enhanced air defence and integrated missile defence capabilities, departed from the naval base of Taranto on May 3 for an operational deployment campaign that will take it through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean to the Indo-Pacific region.
During the mission, it will carry out “naval diplomacy” activities and promote the national “Country System”, while participating in the two most important multinational exercises in the area: RIMPAC and PACIFIC DRAGON, the latter focused on integrated air and missile defence.
During the campaign—details of which have not been disclosed but, according to Blue Economy, will last about six months—Bande Nere, under the command of Commander Antonio Bufis, will call at about a dozen ports, developing relations and cooperation with around ten nations, highlighting key aspects such as national technological development, crew training and professionalism, and supporting the competitiveness of the national system by promoting the excellence of Italian industry and shipbuilding.
During operations in the Pacific Ocean, Bande Nere will participate in two of the world’s most important international naval exercises for the second time in the history of the Italian Navy and Armed Forces: the U.S.-led biennial exercises RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise) and PACIFIC DRAGON, scheduled for this summer. Previously, these exercises were attended in 2024 by MPCS/PPA Raimondo Montecuccoli (P 432) during its around-the-world deployment, which took it across the Atlantic Ocean and the Panama Canal into the Pacific, returning home via the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal after more than six months at sea.
According to Blue Economy, after transiting the Suez Canal, Bande Nere is expected to call in Egypt (Berenice), then cross the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean to reach Colombo (Sri Lanka), supporting—like previous deployments of other units—the European missions ASPIDES and ATALANTA. The ship will then proceed to Singapore, where it is expected to stop during the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 summit of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the most important defence and security forum in Asia.
The Italian Navy warship will then sail to Guam, a key U.S. naval and air base, likely to take part in activities with U.S. Armed Forces. From there it will reach Honolulu, Hawaii, to participate in the two major international exercises mentioned above. After completing them, it will move to Japan, to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) naval base in Yokosuka near Tokyo, conducting exercises with it before heading to Vietnam, stopping in Ho Chi Minh City.
Bande Nere will then call at several ports in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand (Laem Chabang), Indonesia (Jakarta)—where it may rendezvous and exercise with sister ships of the same class in “Light Plus” configuration in service with the Indonesian Navy—and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur). It will then return to the eastern Indian Ocean, stopping again in Sri Lanka, before heading to the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, calling at Aqaba (Jordan), and finally returning to the Mediterranean and back home in early November.
Major multinational exercises in the Pacific Ocean
During its stay in Hawaii, Bande Nere will take part in the U.S.-led biennial exercises RIMPAC and PACIFIC DRAGON, further strengthening—after the participation of Montecuccoli in 2024—the Italian Navy’s ability to operate in a multinational and multi-domain context and to enhance interoperability and operational capabilities in Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD).
The 30th edition of RIMPAC, taking place from June 24 to July 31 under the motto “Partners: Integrated and Prepared”, will involve 31 nations with a multinational force of 40 surface ships, 5 submarines, 140 aircraft, and more than 250,000 personnel.
PACIFIC DRAGON is a multinational integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) exercise in the operational area of the Hawaiian Islands, including the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands (PMRF) and waters off Kauai. It is designed to improve tactical and technical coordination and interoperability in IAMD, involving major navies in the region and beyond, as well as the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA).
During this event—following its performance in previous exercises such as NATO’s “Formidable Shield 2025” and the French-led “Polaris 2025”—Bande Nere will employ its “Full” configuration combat system, featuring state-of-the-art sensors and systems that are more advanced than those of Montecuccoli in “Light Plus” configuration, particularly in sensors, weapons, and information management.
The MPCS/PPA Bande Nere in “Full” configuration
Delivered to the Italian Navy on October 2, 2024 by Fincantieri as prime contractor under the OCCAR-managed program, Giovanni delle Bande Nere is the fourth MPCS/PPA and the first in “Full” configuration. Like other ships of the “Thaon di Revel” class, it features a “Naval Cockpit” allowing operation by two crew members, a “green” propulsion system capable of speeds exceeding 32 knots, a crew of about 150 personnel, a flight deck and hangar capable of accommodating two NHIndustries NH90 helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles, and a stern launch and recovery station for rigid-hull boats used in maritime traffic control.
The MPCS/PPA units are cutting-edge in naval design, featuring two modular zones (midship and stern) that allow the embarkation of a wide range of containerized payloads, such as additional accommodation, hospital facilities or special forces equipment, as well as manned and unmanned surface and underwater vehicles.
Compared to the “Light Plus” configuration, the “Full” configuration includes a complete weapons suite and combat system. Key capabilities include Leonardo’s advanced dual-band radar (DBR) with eight fixed AESA arrays, the SAAM ESD air defence missile system by MBDA Italy, vertical launch systems (VLS) for Aster missiles—including future Aster 30 Block 1NT with ballistic missile defence capabilities—and advanced electronic warfare systems, electro-optical sensors, anti-submarine warfare systems, and the SADOC 4 combat management system.
The combat system will undergo intensive operational evaluation throughout the deployment, particularly during the PACIFIC DRAGON exercise, providing significant benefits for the Italian Navy’s integrated air and missile defence capabilities.
Delivered to the Italian Navy on 2 October 2024 by Fincantieri as prime contractor within the programme managed by the OCCAR agency, as anticipated Giovanni delle Bande Nere is the fourth MPCS/PPA and the first in “Full” configuration. Like the other ships of the “Thaon di Revel” class, the unit is equipped with the “Naval Cockpit” which allows the ship to be operated by two crew members, a “green” propulsion system capable of reaching a maximum speed of over 32 knots, a crew of about 150 personnel, a flight deck and hangar capable of accommodating two NHIndustries NFH90 helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles, and a stern launch and recovery station for a rigid-hull fast boat used for merchant traffic control.
The MPCS/PPA units are characterised and are at the cutting edge of naval design thanks to two modular zones (amidships and aft) which allow the embarkation of a wide range of containerised payloads such as additional accommodation, hospital areas and equipment or special forces, as well as manned boats and autonomous surface and underwater vehicles, which can be handled and operated at sea by means of dedicated cranes of various types. This is a capability that in Europe only next-generation ships currently under development, such as the British Type 26 and the Spanish F110, will possess.
Compared to the “Light Plus” configuration, which features missile air defence capabilities in addition to gun armament and a more sophisticated combat system than the “Light” model, the “Full” configuration—as the word itself suggests—features a complete armament and combat system for the MPCS/PPA class.
The main distinctive capabilities of this configuration include Leonardo’s advanced dual-band radar (DBR) in full version with eight fixed faces (4FF) with active electronically scanned array (AESA) antennas, of which four belong to the “Kronos Quad” C-band system and four to the “Star Fire” X-band system, and the SAAM ESD (Surface Anti-Air Missile – Extended Self Defence) PPA air defence missile system by MBDA Italy, with two A50 8-cell vertical launch systems (VLS) by Naval Group for the MBDA Aster family of surface-to-air missiles, including in the near future the Aster 30 Block 1NT missile with significant capabilities against ballistic missiles and first-generation hypersonic weapon systems.
These are complemented by the advanced full electronic warfare suite (EWS) by ELT Group (Elettronica), including radar and communications surveillance systems as well as an advanced electronic defence and jamming suite (integrated with Leonardo’s radar), Leonardo’s DSS-IRST distributed electro-optical surveillance and tracking system for 360° protection of the unit against asymmetric threats such as drones or suicide boats, an anti-submarine warfare suite with the ATAS towed sonar system as well as the alert and countermeasure launch system against threats posed by underwater weapons, both supplied by WASS Sistemi Subacquei.
All of this is managed by Leonardo’s latest-generation ship command, control and combat system, SADOC 4, with the full suite of operator consoles. In addition to the SAAM ESD PPA missile system integrated with the DBR dual-band radar, the armament includes the Leonardo suite with the OTO 127/64 LW main gun capable of firing long-range Vulcano precision ammunition, the 76/62 mm Super Rapid (SP) gun capable of firing guided DART ammunition for engaging missile and asymmetric threats, two remotely controlled 25 mm weapon systems, as well as two triple launchers for MU90 lightweight torpedoes by WASS.
