Steel cut for Spanish Navy’s second F110 frigate

Shipbuilder Navantia has started the construction process of the second frigate of the F-110 class for the Spanish Navy.

The cut of the steel of the F-112 took place last Saturday, December 16 at Navantia’s shipyard in Ferrol.

The program -whose execution order was signed in 2019- foresees the construction of five frigates. The start of production of the F-112 is four months ahead of schedule, according to Navantia.

The first frigate of the series, the F-111, under construction since 2022, has gained momentum with a total of 24 out of the 33 blocks (compared to the 18 planned in the schedule) currently in various stages of construction and assembly. Of these, five blocks are already on the slipway, after the fifth of these blocks was set in place on December 18. Moreover, in terms of procurement, 98% of the program’s equipment has already been acquired, with materials reaching 95% for the F-111 and 70% for the F-112.

The Spanish Navy’s F-110 frigates are multi-purpose escort vessels, with anti-aircraft, anti-surface and anti-submarine capabilities that will enable them to perform their force protection and naval projection functions. These ships, which are intended to operate in combination with other units, make them versatile platforms that can perform maritime security-related functions.

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 defence segments and a new hybrid propulsion plant, more efficient and silent, giving the ship great versatility. The frigates will be equipped with the Spanish combat system, SCOMBA, developed by Navantia Systems.

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 to support 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), developed along with the Universities of Vigo and Coruña (Galicia, Spain), which will provide the ship with integrated sensors in its light points, substantially reducing its wiring. The F-110 will also have 3D printers on board for the manufacture of spare parts.

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