Navantia holds keel laying ceremony for F110 class frigate Bonifaz.

According to information published by Navantia on August 10, 2023, the shipyard in Ferrol, A Coruña, witnessed the keel-laying ceremony for the F111 frigate Bonifaz.
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Keel laying ceremony of the F110 class frigate Bonifaz. (Picture source: Navantia)

The ceremony involved the placement of block 311 at the Ferrol facility, which will serve as the foundation for the ship's construction. With this step, Navantia moves forward in building all five frigates in this series.

This ship is expected to launch in 2025 and will be delivered to the Navy by 2028. The subsequent ships are planned to be delivered annually, culminating in 2032 when the fifth vessel will be received by the Navy.

Currently, the F110 program is well into its construction phase, with progress surpassing original plans. To date, 18 out of the 33 blocks that will make up the new F111 are being manufactured. The detailed engineering 3D model is around 80% complete, and 99% of the platform equipment for all the ships in the series has been procured.

Navantia has accelerated the construction program, refining its production systems with a pilot block, resulting in this advanced keel-laying. The construction of F112 will begin before year's end.

Signed in 2019, the F110 frigate program, valued at €4.325 billion, involves building five multipurpose escort vessels capable of anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine operations. They are versatile, also supporting maritime security and assisting civil authorities.

The program introduces the Digital Twin, an innovative concept that will make the Ferrol shipyard a global reference for frigates. Co-designed with the Navy and the Ministry of Defense's General Directorate of Armament and Material (DGAM), the Digital Twin is a virtual replica of the ship.

It continuously updates with data from sensors spread across the vessel, creating a cyber-physical system that leverages technologies like Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to support maintenance and operations from afar through the deployed land-based Digital Twin.

Technical data

With a displacement of 6,100 tons, the ship stretches to a length of 145 meters, coupled with an 18-meter beam and a 5-meter draft. Engineered for speed, the ship can swiftly cut through waters at a pace exceeding 25 knots. Designed to be operated by a crew of 150, it is equipped with state-of-the-art systems including the AN/SPY-7(V)1 Derivative Radar.

The vessel's armament features a Leonardo 127 mm/64 caliber gun, and its missile arsenal comprises 16 Mk 41 VLS surface-to-air missile systems compatible with both SM-2 and RIM-162 ESSM.

Her defensive and offensive capabilities are 2 x 30 mm and .50 inch machine guns, as well as 2 quadruple Naval Strike Missile canisters for surface strikes. For underwater threats, it's equipped with the Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes.