The Minister of Defense, Luis Petri, traveled to Italy with the objective of negotiating the acquisition of the San Giorgio ship , a warship, classified as "amphibious assault" , which has the capacity to transport infantry troops and includes functionalities that currently They are not available in the Sea Fleet of the Argentine Navy. The efforts of the national official occur within the framework of the modernization strategy of the Armed Forces .

Argentina lacks a ship of these characteristics, which allows the transport of troops with all their equipment , even the heaviest, and their disembarkation without requiring specific port infrastructure .

The San Giorgio class , to which this vessel belongs, has three units in the Italian Navy : the San Giorgio, the San Marco and the San Giusto, the latter with modifications to its original design.

The San Giorgio class ship stands out for its displacement of close to eight thousand tons , a length of 133.3 meters and a width of 20.5 meters. Equipped with sensors for navigation and direction of fire , and Fincantieri GMT A 420.12 diesel engines, it can transport up to 350 infantry personnel and 30 vehicles , including amphibious assault LVTPs. Although it lacks an aircraft hangar, it has a flight deck to operate light and medium helicopters .

Defense cooperation between Argentina and Italy dates back to 1992 , with an agreement in force since 1997, and an agreement signed in 2016 covering areas such as research and development , and common security and defense policy .

During his stay in Rome , Petri planned to visit Leonardo's plant , depending on his availability before heading to Brussels. A letter of intent was agreed with this company to acquire eight helicopters for the Argentine Navy in 2023, during the era of former Minister of Defense, Jorge Taiana.

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