TSAMTO, April 5. On March 31, the Spanish company Navantia announced the handover ceremony of the Avante-2200, (828) El Jubail class corvette to the command of the Saudi Arabian Navy, held in San Fernando.
The event was attended by the Commander of the Saudi Arabian Navy, Vice Admiral Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Gofaili.
As reported by TSAMTO, in July 2018, Navantia announced the signing of a contract with the government of Saudi Arabia for the construction of five corvettes within the ALSARAWAT project, the cost of which is 1.8 billion. euro ($2.1 billion). The Agreement entered into force in November 2018. The construction of the corvettes is based on the Avante-2200 project, adapted to the requirements of the Saudi Arabian Navy.
As part of the agreement, Navantia also formed a joint venture in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi state-owned company SAMI (Saudi Arabian Military Industries). It will offer integrated Navantia systems and technologically advanced solutions in the Saudi Arabian market. In particular, with the support of Navantia, SAMI intends to develop a national combat control system under the designation Hazem. Most of the work on the construction of ships is carried out in Spain.
Steel cutting for the lead corvette, El Jubail, began in January 2019, keel laying took place in October 2019, launching - in July 2020. Since September 2021, the ship has been undergoing sea trials to verify compliance of all systems with the requirements of the Saudi Arabian Navy.
In addition to the Al-Jubail, four other ships are currently at various stages of construction, including (830) Al-Diriyah, (832) Hail, (834) "Jizan" (Jazan) and (836) "Unayza" (Unayzah). The fifth corvette of the series was launched in December 2021.
The last corvette should be delivered to the customer in 2024. In accordance with the terms of the deal, work on the completion of the last two ships will be carried out in Saudi Arabia, where, in particular, the CATIZ combat control system of Navantia will be installed and tested. In addition, Navantia will be responsible for the maintenance of ships for five years from the date of delivery of the first corvette. The option provides for the extension of maintenance work for another five years.
The length of the El Jubail class corvette is 104 m, the maximum width is 14 m. It is equipped with MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH engines. The maximum design speed is 27 knots, the autonomy will be 21 days. 102 people (crew and additional personnel) can be accommodated on board. The ship's armament includes a 76/62-mm Super Rapid artillery system manufactured by Leonardo, a 35-mm Millennium rocket launcher from Rheinmetall, a VPU with a missile defense system, as well as other systems.
In addition to the CATIZ SBU, the corvettes will receive a DORNA fire control system developed by Navantia, an integrated Platform Control system, an integrated NAVCOMS/HERMESYS external and internal communication system, an integrated MINERVA bridge, engines and gearboxes.
