Spanish Navy’s F110 Frigates to get iXBlue Navigation Systems

The Spanish Navy’s five F110-class (Bonifaz-class) multi-mission frigates will be equipped with iXblue’s Marins Series Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) and Netans Navigation Data Distribution & Computation Systems.

The relevant contract between Spain Directorate General for Armament and Material (DGAM) and the company has been signed.

iXblue Marins INS, based on the Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology, combined with the Netans data distribution & processing units, will provide the F110 frigates with navigation information, regardless of the environment, including within GNSS denied areas.

Developed by Navantia for the Spanish Navy, the multi-mission frigates and their anti-submarine warfare capabilities will be used for missions such as fleet protection and maritime security and will be deployed to counter conventional and asymmetric threats. The €4.3 billion deal for these warships, set to replace the Navy’s Santa Maria-class frigates, was signed in April 2019.

The first frigate is expected to be deployed in 2026 while the remaining four will be delivered up until 2031.

F-110 frigates will be fitted with the Aegis combat system integrating a new solid-state S-band radar by Indra. Lockheed Martin and Indra have been collaborating since 2009 to develop a S-band solid state radar for Spain’s F-110 Frigate Program.

Known as the Bonifaz-class, these frigates will feature:

• A sonar suite by Thales (BlueMaster UMS 4110 and CAPTAS 4 Compact sonars, the TUUM-6 underwater communication system, and the BlueScan digital acoustic system)
• The SCOMBA combat system by Navantia
• The S-band variant of Lockheed Martin’s SPY-7 radar
• Leonardo 127mm 127/64 LW main gun
• Raytheon’s Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 missile
• Rohde & Schwarz external communications systems
• GMV’ SENDA navigation system
• Propeller systems by Kongsberg Maritime