TRIESTE – Fincantieri is moving into the operational phase of the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program for the U.S. Navy with an initial 30 million dollar contract awarded to its U.S. subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group. The contract covers the procurement of materials and engineering activities for the first four units, marking the program’s entry into its execution phase, which envisages up to 35 ships. The award allows preparatory work to begin immediately, particularly the purchase of long-lead components and the development of the technical solutions required for production. According to the information provided, construction of the first ships could begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. It is a key step ahead of the subsequent award of the actual construction contracts, which are expected to be assigned under the Vessel Construction Manager model, still subject to the required approvals. The LSM program is designed to strengthen the operational capabilities of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, with ships built for distributed operations, coastal mobility and the rapid deployment of vehicles and personnel in complex scenarios. For Fincantieri, through its industrial presence in the United States, the contract consolidates an already significant role in U.S. naval shipbuilding. Over the past ten years the group has invested more than 800 million dollars in its U.S. shipyards, developing infrastructure and production capacity to manage several programs in parallel. Fincantieri Marine Group has around 3,000 employees in the United States and is one of the main industrial operators involved in the modernisation of America’s naval shipbuilding base, in a context of growing demand for new naval units and fleet upgrades.