Navantia starts construction of F-110 class frigate for Spanish Navy.

According to a press release published by Navantia on April 7, 2022, the firm has started the construction process of the new F-110 class frigate for the Spanish Navy, with the cutting of the first steel plate in an event presided by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
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Cutting of the first steel plate of F-110 class frigate (Picture source: Navantia)

The program, whose implementation order was signed in 2019, foresees the construction of five frigates, valued at 4,320 million euros. The F-111 will be commissioned in 2027 and deliveries will take place yearly.

The new class of ships is known as the F-110 project and is set to replace the six Santa Maria-class frigates (F-80) commissioned with the Spanish Navy service between 1986 and 1994.

The cutting of the first steel plate has taken place on the 6th of April in Navantia’s shipyard in Ferrol (A Coruña, Spain), where all five F-110 class frigates will be built. The event was also attended by Spanish Vice Prime Minister for Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz; Finance Minister María Jesús Montero, along with Navantia’s Chairman, Ricardo Domínguez among other authorities.

The F-110 frigates for the Spanish Navy are multi-purpose escort ships, with anti-aircraft, anti-surface, and anti-submarine capabilities to perform their force protection and naval power projection duties.

They will operate in combination with other units, and they are versatile platforms that can also perform functions related to maritime security and support civilian authorities.

The frigates will have a length of 145 meters (475 ft 9 in), a beam of 18 m (59 ft 1 in), and a draft of 5 m (16 ft 5 in). They will be able to carry out a crew of 150 sailors.

The design of this new frigate includes advanced technological features, such as an integrated mast with different sensor and antenna solutions, a multi-mission space that expands the ship’s capabilities in all defense segments, and a new, more efficient, and silent hybrid propulsion plant, providing the ship with great versatility. The frigates will be equipped with the Spanish combat system, SCOMBA, developed by Navantia Sistemas.

The F110 frigate will be powered by two GE LM-2500 gas turbine electric motors, four MTU 4000 diesel engines, and four 3MW diesel encapsulated generators. She can reach a top speed of >25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) and a maximum cruising range of 4,100nm at 15 knots.

The F-110 frigate will be a smart ship, the first Spanish naval program designed to have a Digital Twin: a virtual replica of the ship that constantly receives information from the vessel, data permanently supplied by a network of sensors distributed throughout the ship, constituting a cyber-physical system that through the use of behavioral models and technologies such as Cloud Computing, Machine Learning and the Internet of Things (IoT) allows supporting its maintenance and operation even thousands of miles away through the Digital Twin deployed ashore.

The Digital Twin is complemented by an Integrated Services System (ISS), an R&D developed with the Universities of Vigo and Coruña, which will provide the ship with integrated sensors in its light points, substantially reducing its wiring. The F110 will also have 3D printers on board for the manufacture of spare parts.

They will be the first ships in the fleet to have an integrated cybersecurity system to protect the vessels against increasing cyber threats. This will enable the ship to have a reduced crew complement for operation, which will result in improved habitability.