The Italian Artigliere class frigates were initially built for Iraq but the delivery was cancelled following the United Nations embargoes against Iraq in 1990. Consequently new weapons and communications systems were fitted to meet the requirements of the Italian Navy.

The Lupo class Fleet Patrol is one of a range of Fincantieri light advanced frigates capable of carrying out co-operative missions in the escort and support role and multi-role missions including surveillance and patrol, interdiction, strike and training.

The ship's surface to surface missile system is the Otomat. The missile system has eight Otomat Teseo Mark 2 missile launchers. Two pairs of launchers are installed on both sides of the ship, at an elevation angle of about 11 degrees and aiming in the forward direction. For air defence, the ship is fitted with the Albatross medium range surface-to-air missile system. This consists of one eight-cell launcher which fires the Aspide missile.

The ship's main gun installed on the bow deck is the OTOBreda 127 mm gun which fires 32 kg rounds at a sustained rate of 45 rounds per minute. The range of the gun is more than 15 kilometres against surface targets and 7 kilometres against airborne targets. The two OTOBreda 40 mm twin anti- aircraft guns are installed on the port and starboard side of the ship at the main deck level between the helicopter deck and the surface to surface missile launchers.

The anti-aircraft guns fire 0.96 kg shells at a firing rate of 300 rounds per minute to a range of four km for airborne targets and to 12 kilometres for surface targets. The weapons control system for the 40 mm guns consists of two Dardo systems from Alenia Elsag Sistemi Navale (AESN).

The ship is equipped with two ILAS 3 triple torpedo launchers firing the A244/S torpedo. The ship has a helicopter deck at the stern has a single landing spot for an Agusta Bell AB 212 helicopter. The Lupo class ships are equipped with a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) propulsion system. The Fiat/GE LM 2500 gas turbine engines provide a sustained power level of 50, 000 horsepower.

Two GMT BL 230.20 M diesel engines provide 10,000 horsepower. The engines drive two shafts with controlled pitch propellers. The turbine engines provide a maximum speed of 36 knots and the diesel engines provide a lower maximum speed of 20 knots. At the diesel engines economical speed of 16 knots, the range of the patrol ship is 4,250 miles.