In the early 2000s, the French and Italian Navies had a common problem. Various ships of both naval forces were rapidly aging, reaching the end of their useful service lives, and unable to respond to current threats. 

The French navy wanted to replace their Tourville, Georges Leygues, and D’Estienne D’Orves class ships, while the Italian navy wanted to replace their Lupo and Maestrale class ships. The mentioned ships were commissioned in the late 1970s and mid-1980s, and they needed to be replaced.