Navantia’s San Fernando shipyard held the keel-laying ceremony this Thursday for the eighth corvette for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF). This vessel will be the shipyard’s construction number C/577 and will be named HMS ALULA.
Navantia press release
As on previous occasions, this keel-laying was held as a working event and was attended by the Director of the Corvettes and Maritime Action Vessels (CBAM) Business Unit, Alberto Cervantes, together with Navantia and RSNF programme teams. With the keel of this corvette now on the slipway, Navantia is operating at full capacity with the three units of the second series for Saudi Arabia already out of the workshops, following the launch of the first on 18 June.
Delivery of these three vessels is scheduled to be completed in 2029. Navantia will be responsible for delivering the first unit, while the second and third will be completed in Saudi Arabia with the installation, integration and testing of the combat system, as was the case under the previous contract.
The order includes the supply of an integrated logistics support package and crew training, together with an operational evaluation period for the vessels by the Spanish Navy at the Rota naval base, where Navantia will provide support services. In addition, Navantia will train around one hundred Saudi engineers.
This contract represents around four million working hours for the Bay of Cádiz, generating an impact of up to 2,000 jobs, including direct, indirect and induced employment.
The achievement of this important milestone once again highlights the excellent work carried out by the Navantia teams and the partner company. This success reflects the commitment, professionalism and coordination of all those involved in the project, and once again demonstrates our ability to meet demanding objectives through joint effort.
Avante 2200 model/ALFA 3000
This second series of three corvettes for Saudi Arabia will be identical to the first. The design is based on Navantia’s AVANTE 2200 model — a multi-purpose platform conceived for maritime surveillance and traffic control, search and rescue, and assistance to other ships, among other missions. The vessels also provide significant capabilities for the defence of strategic assets and intelligence, as well as anti-submarine, anti-air, anti-surface and electronic warfare.
The corvettes feature a state-of-the-art design and maximise Navantia’s contribution through the integration of in-house solutions, including the HAZEM combat system (via the SAMINavantia joint venture), the HERMESYS integrated communications system, the DORNA fire-control director, the Integrated Platform Control System and the MINERVA integrated bridge. The vessels also incorporate propulsion engines under MTU licence, diesel generator sets and reduction gearboxes under Schelde licence. Navantia’s Repairs Business Unit will further support the programme through work carried out during the corvettes’ dry dockings in San Fernando.
