Leonardo successfully demonstrated its next-generation air and missile defence capabilities during NATO’s Formidable Shield 2025 exercise, held in the challenging waters of the North Sea from May 3 to 23. Planned by the U.S. Sixth Fleet and led by STRIKFORNATO, the exercise tested the interoperability and performance of allied systems in real-world multi-domain scenarios.
The Italian Navy’s Giovanni delle Bande Nere, a fully combat-configured PPA-class offshore patrol vessel, played a key role during the drills. Equipped with Leonardo’s SADOC 4 combat management suite and the advanced Dual Band Radar, the ship engaged in live-fire and simulated threat environments to assess the systems under stress.
Commissioned in late 2024, Giovanni delle Bande Nere is 143 meters long and displaces 6,270 tons. Its hybrid CODAG propulsion enables speeds up to 27 knots with a 5,000-nautical-mile range. Armed with a 127 mm naval gun, 76 mm Strales system, 25 mm RCWS units, 16 Aster 15/30 SAMs, eight Teseo Mk2/E cruise missiles, and MU90 torpedoes, the vessel is built for anti-air, anti-surface, and ASW operations.
SADOC 4 performed as the vessel’s nerve center, enabling rapid threat recognition and engagement through an advanced human-machine interface. The Dual Band Radar demonstrated multitasking versatility, simultaneously handling surveillance, target tracking, missile guidance, and EW missions—even tracking supersonic ballistic targets across hundreds of kilometers.
Operating alongside NATO forces, Giovanni delle Bande Nere successfully detected and tracked both short-range ballistic and medium-range missile threats launched from land and sea, sharing real-time targeting data across tactical networks. Leonardo emphasized that the radar locked onto targets within seconds and maintained precision throughout their flight.
As a result of these achievements, the Italian Navy was formally recognized during the final evaluation of Formidable Shield 2025 as one of the most capable naval forces in the alliance for integrated air and missile defence operations.
