Navantia Shipyard Launches first Avanti 2200 Corvette for Saudi Navy

Spanish Navantia Shipyard launched the first of five corvettes for the Saudi Royal Navy launched a new warship as part of a joint project with Spain to build five vessels.

The Avanti 2200 Corvette was inaugurated at the Navantia shipyard in San Fernando, Spain. Saudi naval officials and officers watched the event via live broadcast from the Navy's headquarters in Riyadh on Thursday.

The official Saudi Press Agency said that the new ship, which is called "Jubail", is equipped with the latest combat systems to deal with air, surface and subsurface threats, as well as with electronic warfare.

Riyadh and Madrid had signed an agreement in 2018, under which Spain would sell warships to Saudi Arabia in a deal valued at $ 2.2 billion.

Another agreement was signed between the Saudi Military Industries Company and the Spanish company "Navantia" to launch a $ 990 million program called the Sarawat. The program includes the manufacture of 5 warships, training crew members and providing technical and logistical support services.

The AL-JUBAIL has a length of 104 metres, a beam of 14 metres and will be able to accommodate 102 people (crew and additional personnel). It will reach a maximum speed of 27 knots and, among other aspects, it has the capacity to carry 21 days’ supplies on board.

The corvettes incorporate the CATIZ Combat System, DORNA Gun Fire Control System, NAVCOMS/HERMESYS Integrated External and Internal Communications System, MINERVA Integrated Navigation and Bridge System, or COMPLEX-SIMPLEX Integrated Platform Management Platform together with equipment manufactured by Navantia under license such as the Leonardo SUPER RAPID 76mm main gun, Rheinmetall Air Defence MILLENNIUM 35mm close-in weapon system, MTU propulsion engines and diesel generators, and RENK gearboxes.

For the follow-on sister ships, the objective is to recover time and meet the initial milestones, so that the second corvette can be launched in November 2020. After the launching ceremony, Capt. Abdullah Alshehri, director of RSNF PMO ALSARAWAT, witnessed the progress in the construction of ship 830 ALDIRIYAH in slipway number 3.

The corvette program, which entered into force in November 2018, strengthens the immediate future of Navantia and benefits all the company’s shipyards and its auxiliary industry, especially the entire Bay of Cádiz.

The program, whose last ship should be delivered in 2024, includes, in addition to construction, Life Cycle Support for five years, from the delivery of the first ship, with the option of another five additional years.