The third of four Todaro-class submarines for the Italian Navy has been launched at a Fincantieri shipyard.

The submarine Pietro Venuti is about 183 feet in length. It has a surface displacement of more than 1,600 tons and a submerged speed of more than 16 knots.

It is built entirely of amagnetic material and uses fuel cell technology for its propulsion system, which enables a submerged range three to four times greater than that of conventional battery-based systems, the company said.

The launch of the Pietro Venuti this week coincided with an announcement that Fincantieri and Finmeccanica are enhancing their collaboration in the maritime sector.

Under the agreement, Fincantieri and Finmeccanica will investigate creation of a common net of suppliers for base products and components.

"Today's (Monday's) agreement, in addition to making the collaboration between two Italian industries of historical significance to the naval sector more effective, represents an important opportunity to strengthen the global position of technological excellence of the two groups," said Mauro Moretti, chief executive officer and general manager of Finmeccanica. "Finmeccanica will provide the skills, products and technologies in combat, weapons and surveillance systems, with the aim of offering an integrated and competitive range of products capable of fully meeting a wide variety of customer requirements.

"The submarine launched today, which integrates some of the most advanced WASS systems, is another strong example of the already profitable collaboration between Fincantieri and Finmeccanica."

WASS is a torpedo and counter-measures torpedo system from a Finmeccanica company.