TSAMTO, December 17th. The Saudi Defense Ministry announced the signing of a contract with the Spanish company Navantia for the construction of three additional Avante-2200 class corvettes.
The contract signing ceremony took place in Riyadh.
The three new corvettes will have the same technical characteristics and combat capabilities as the first five ships of the series delivered by Navantia to the Saudi Arabian Navy as part of the AL-SARAWAT project.
Construction of the first corvette is due to begin this year. The delivery of the last corvette will be completed by 2028. Navantia will build the first ship at the shipyard in San Fernando (Cadiz, Spain). The second and third corvettes will be completed in Saudi Arabia. These works will include the installation, integration and testing of the Hazem combat system developed by SAMINavantia.
SAMINavantia, a joint venture between Saudi SAMI and Navantia, will supply combat systems for all three corvettes. The contract includes an extensive training program for more than 100 Saudi engineers, the production of certain components for the third corvette in Saudi Arabia.
Another key condition of the agreement is the transfer of intellectual property rights to the Avante 2200 project to the General Directorate of Military Industry of Saudi Arabia (General Authority of Military Industry – GAMI). This will allow Saudi Arabia to independently use the project for the construction of corvettes and long-term.
Navantia will also provide comprehensive logistical support, including crew training in conjunction with the Spanish Navy at the Rota Naval Base. During this period, Navantia will provide specialized support to the Saudi Arabian Navy.
The new corvettes will be built according to the project of the Avante-2200 multipurpose corvette by Navantia. This class of ships is specially designed to perform tasks such as patrolling the exclusive economic zone, maritime surveillance and search and rescue operations. In addition, corvettes can be equipped with weapons, including air defense, anti-submarine warfare, and electronic warfare systems.
As reported by CAMTO, in July 2018, the Saudi government signed a contract with Navantia worth 1.8 billion. euros ($2.1 billion) for the construction of five Avante-2200 corvettes within the framework of the AL-SARAWAT project. The agreement entered into force in November 2018.
Most of the work under the contract was carried out in Spain. The lead corvette of the series, (828) El Jubail, was transferred to the command of the Saudi Arabian Navy in March 2022. Four more corvettes were delivered during 2022-2024. In accordance with the terms of the deal, the completion of the last two ships was carried out in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the agreement, Navantia also formed a SAMINavantia joint venture with the Saudi state-owned company SAMI (Saudi Arabian Military Industries) in Saudi Arabia.
In October 2024, the Saudi Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Defense to support the construction of three additional Avante-2200 corvettes. The document provides for cooperation in the field of training, exchange of experience and provision of technical and logistical support to the Saudi Arabian Navy.
