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Italy Fincantieri
Cavour
The Italian Navy's flagship STOVL aircraft carrier, built by Fincantieri to operate F-35B Lightning IIs and AV-8B Harriers alongside helicopters. It combines a ski-jump flight deck with an amphibious/command capability, serving as the fleet's principal power-projection platform.
In service since 2008 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
27,100
t
29
kn
7,000
nmi
1,210
crew
💲 ≈ $1,500,000,000, Approximate build cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Italian export-licensed
UAMA authorisation; standard EU/Wassenaar controls.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2008. Status: active · ~1 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$3.8B – $5.3B
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~35 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Cavour can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 2× SCLAR-H decoy launchers |
|---|
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 244 m |
|---|
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art. | SPY-790 (EMPAR) multifunction radar |
|---|
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $1,500,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 1 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
Specifications compiled from public Fincantieri and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Naval Group Amiral Ronarc'h-class Frigate (FDI) 
Navantia Alvaro de Bazan class (F100) Frequently asked questions
What is the main armament of the Fincantieri Cavour? +
The Fincantieri Cavour's primary weapon is the 2× SCLAR-H decoy launchers.
What is the Fincantieri Cavour used for? +
The Fincantieri Cavour is a warship typically used for air superiority.
How many countries operate the Fincantieri Cavour? +
The Fincantieri Cavour is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Fincantieri Cavour cost? +
The Fincantieri Cavour has an approximate unit cost of 1,500,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
