Navantia launches first of five corvettes for Royal Saudi Naval Forces.

Al Jubail, the first of five corvettes being built in Spain by Navantia for the Royal Saudi Navy, was launched Wednesday at the San Fernando shipyard. The second is due to be launched in November, and all five should be delivered by 2024.
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Al Jubail, the first of five corvettes being built in Spain by Navantia for the Royal Saudi Navy, was launched Wednesday at the San Fernando shipyard. The second is due to be launched in November, and all five should be delivered by 2024. (Picture source: Navantia)

The ceremony was held in slipway number 2 at the San Fernando shipyard, and was chaired by the Commander of RSNF, H. E. Vice Admiral Fahad Bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily; by the Chairwoman of Navantia, Susana de Sarriá; by the Acting CEO of SAMI, Eng. Walid Abukhaled; and by the Admiral of Logistics Support Bay of Cadiz of Spanish Navy, Vice Admiral Ricardo A. Hernández López (Alardiz).

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.

The contract also includes the supply of various services such as integrated logistical support, operational and maintenance training, supply of training and training Centers for the Combat System and Platform Control System for ships, Support to the Life Cycle, previously mentioned, and the systems for the maintenance of ships in the RNSF Jeddah Naval Base.

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.

Royal Saudi Navy’s corvette is based on the Navantia Avante 2200 design. (Picture source: Navantia)

About the corvette:

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 are the latest generation of successful Navantia-designed combatants, and incorporate state-of-the-art Navantia products, such as 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.