Italian landing helicopter dock Trieste

Trieste is a multi-role amphibious unit of the Italian Navy, officially classified as a landing helicopter dock (amphibious assault helicopter carrier), it will be the largest vessel in the Italian fleet. It was ordered as part of the 2014–2015 naval program and was built at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyards of Fincantieri.

Project and construction
As part of the units planned under the 2014–2015 naval law, the new multi-role/multi-function amphibious ship has a full load displacement of approximately 38,000 tons and an overall length of about 245 m, making it the largest unit in the fleet. The innovative design is inspired by the style adopted by the British Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. In fact, it features two distinct islands, the first (at the bow) for navigation and the second (at the stern) for the management and control of flight operations. This configuration serves a triple purpose, providing a greater visual range, more space on the flight deck, and a smoother and more efficient management of various activities.

The flight deck has a length of 230 m and a width of 36 m, with a total of nine spots for aircraft. It is equipped with two 15 by aircraft elevators with a maximum capacity of 42 tons.

According to the provided data, the ship is equipped with a floodable well deck below the hangar, which allows the use of amphibious vehicles such as Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM), rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB), Landing Craft Air Cushion hovercraft, L-CAC, and the most innovative rapid amphibious landing vehicles (L-CAT) used by NATO and European navies. Unlike the aircraft carrier ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Cavour, which has a single reconfigurable hangar not floodable for vehicle transport, this unit has, below the flight deck, two additional decks, one of which is a hangar with an area of 2300 m2 and 530 linear meters for vehicle parking with removable bulkheads to reach 2600 m2, connected to a lower deck of 2200 m2, divided into a garage of 700 m2 with 253 linear meters for vehicle parking and a floodable 55 by well deck, sized for the entry of four LCM-1E or one LCAC.

Like Cavour and ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Giuseppe Garibaldi, Trieste also features a ski-jump on the flight deck to facilitate the takeoff of STOVL F-35B aircraft, as reported in the technical specifications, maintaining secondary air capability to be used in case of necessity when Cavour is not available.

The propulsion group has two shafts with variable-pitch five-bladed propellers and two balanced spade rudders, two retractable stabilizer fins, two forward thrusters, and one aft thruster, ensuring greater maneuverability in confined spaces compared to just rudders/propellers.

The first steel plate was cut on July 12, 2017, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia, and a little over seven months later, on February 20, 2018, the keel was laid at the shipyard's slipway, marking the start of the ship's construction. The ship was launched and christened on May 25, 2019, in the presence of the President Sergio Mattarella, with his daughter serving as the ship's godmother. The first sea trial took place on August 12, 2021, off the coast of La Spezia. Three Fincantieri shipyards were involved: the hull was constructed in Castellammare di Stabia, the outfitting was carried out in Muggiano, and the hull maintenance was performed in Palermo.

Weaponry
The unit is equipped with state-of-the-art weapon systems.

Regarding the artillery compartment, it includes:


 * 3 multi-role Otobreda 76/62 guns (two at the bow and one at the stern) of the Super Rapid MF Davide type, with guided ammunition and provision for the new Vulcano ammunition.
 * 3 remotely controlled OTO Melara 25/80 gun turrets equipped with a 25 mm Oerlikon KBA cannon (25x137mm).
 * 2 OTO Melara ODLS-20 rocket launchers for launching underwater and aerial decoys.

The missile compartment includes:


 * Provision for four vertical launch systems (VLS Sylver) with eight cells each (two at the bow and two at the stern), for a total capacity of 32 Aster 15/30 missiles.

The sensor section boasts advanced technologies as well:


 * PAR SPN-720, a precision approach radar, a 3D volumetric system capable of tracking 300 tracks and 12 targets simultaneously, with a range exceeding 200 km.
 * Radar Kronos Power Shield (AESA in L-band), a multifunction surveillance system with a range of 1500 - 2000 km.
 * IFF SIR-M-PA, a secondary radar for ship and aircraft identification.
 * Dual-band Radar Kronos (DBR AESA 4FF): C-band (Kronos Quad - Fitted For) and X-band (Kronos StarFire).
 * TACAN AN-553/N, for precision approach and sending information to aircraft in flight.
 * "Zeus" EWS (Electronic Warfare System), developed by Elettronica SpA, equipped with a solid-state GaN TRX-based electronic attack subsystem. The EW component is integrated with a Radar Emitter Locator (RE), Radar Countermeasures (RCM), and Radio Communications Countermeasures (RCCM), effective in both open sea and coastal waters. It provides advanced maritime surveillance and situational assessment through ELINT and COMINT, along with an algorithm SEI.
 * Automatic combat operations direction system SADOC 4.

Air power
The ship features a flight deck measuring 230 by, covering an area of approximately 7400 m2, with nine takeoff spots for heavy helicopters or F-35B fighter jets. Flight deck operations are controlled from the aft island. In full operational conditions, the ship can carry a total of 30–34 aircraft in various combinations of jets and helicopters. In fact, with an area of 2600 m2 (compared to the 2500 m2 of Cavour), is designed to accommodate a maximum of 14 aircraft, also in various configurations. There are two 15 by elevators at the stern each with a maximum load of 42 tons.

Amphibious capabilities
The ship's amphibious capabilities are highly advanced, and they serve as the primary weapon of the unit.

The second deck, below the hangar, with an area of 2300 m2, features a floodable well deck measuring 55 by, designed to accommodate four LCMs, referred to as LC23, or one LCAC / LCAT.

The LCMs will be able to transport 1 Ariete tank, 5 Iveco LMV Lynx vehicles, or 1 Centauro, 1 Freccia, or 300 soldiers.

Hospital
The ship will also be equipped with a fully equipped hospital, including operating rooms, radiology and analysis laboratories, a dental clinic, and a ward for 28 seriously ill patients, covering a total area of 700 m2. Additional beds will be accommodated in specially prepared container modules.

In May 2019, the ship was launched at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyards and transferred to La Spezia for final outfitting. The initial delivery was expected by 2022, but it was later postponed to the end of 2023. The construction phase involved over 300 workers, while the installation and completion phase is expected to engage 800 people.