Both ships continued to receive high-profile state tasks after newer Italian warships entered service. Francesco Mimbelli supported security for the 2017 G7 meeting in Sicily, while Durand de la Penne visited Odessa and its maritime academy in 2019. The prestige of being the newest ship fades, but a recognized air-defence destroyer can retain an assured presence. Continued maintenance and modernization let the class arrive abroad as a confident representative of Italy. Their repeated selection for visits and operations, along with invitations from other nations, shows that this status remained useful.
Notable Point · 35:36-38:39
An older air-defence destroyer represents the Italian state
G7 security, an Odessa visit, and repeated port calls show why proven air-defence ships retained diplomatic status after newer assets entered service.