Saudi Arabia inks deal for 3 Avante 2200 Corvettes from Spain's Navantia

The fourth Saudi Avante-class corvette goes into the water during production in late 2021. (Navantia)

BEIRUT — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has contracted three more Avante 2200 corvettes from Spanish firm Navantia to serve with the royal navy, according to the Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense.

The three new corvettes will join the existing fleet of five Avante 2200 corvettes already in service as part of the Sarawat project signed between KSA and Navantia in 2018.

Navantia said in a statement Wednesday that work on the first new corvette will start later this year, and the delivery is scheduled to conclude in 2028.

“This second batch series of corvettes for Saudi Arabia will be similar to the first batch, with a design based on Navantia’s Avante 2200 model, which is a multipurpose vessel specially designed for patrolling and monitoring of the Exclusive Economic Zone, maritime traffic surveillance and control missions, search and rescue missions and assistance to other vessels, among others,” Navantia said. “In addition, the vessels will have an important capacity for the defense of strategic assets, intelligence, and anti-submarine, anti-aircraft, anti-surface and electronic warfare capabilities.”

Navantia said SAMINavantia, a joint venture between the Spanish firm and the Kingdom’s Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), will install the Hazem Combat System for the ships.

Hazem is the first-ever combat management system developed and produced inside KSA by SAMI.

The installation, integration and trials of the second and third corvettes in KSA comes in line with Saudi Vision 2030, that target localizing 50 percent of defense production in the Kingdom.

The new contact includes logistical support package, training of 100 Saudi engineers and the manufacturing of blocks for the third corvettes in KSA, according to Navantia’s statement.

“Navantia will transfer the Intellectual Property Rights of the Avante 2200 design to GAMI [General Authority of Military Industries], enabling the design’s utilization for the manufacturing of future corvettes for the Kingdom, as well as for potential export markets,” the statement said.

Avante 2200 corvettes are 104 meters in length and capable of transporting around 100 people, designed for surveillance and control operations with the capacity to host a helicopter on the deck.