Navantia splashes 2nd corvette for Saudi Navy

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Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has held a launching ceremony for the second of five corvettes being built for the Saudi Arabian Navy.

The Avante 2200-class corvette, named Al-Diriyah, was launched on November 14, with the ceremony being live-streamed from the shipyard to Riyadh to comply with the COVID-19 related health and safety restrictions.

The corvette Al-Diriyah has a length of 104 meters, a beam of 14 meters, and will be capable of transporting a total of 102 people. It can reach a maximum speed of 27 knots and has the capacity to carry supplies for 21 days.

Spain and Saudi Arabia finalized Avante 2200 corvette deal in April 2018. The deal is worth around EUR 2 billion.

The corvettes incorporate 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.

In addition to ship construction, the program, whose last ship must be delivered in 2024, includes life cycle support for five years, starting 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, the supply of training and training centers for the combat system and platform control system for ships, and the systems for the maintenance of ships in the RNSF Jeddah Naval Base.