The fourth corvette for Saudi Arabia was launched at Navantia in San Fernando in southern Spain last Saturday (24 July). In the presence of the Inspector of the Spanish Navy, Admiral Antonio Martorell Lacave, the Commander of the Saudi Navy, Vice Admiral Fahad Bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily, smashed a bottle of water from Mecca on the bow of the new ship. This was followed by the actual launching, during which the corvette slid stern-first into her new element.
In future, the ship will be used as a Jazan and thus bear the name of a city with a population of 100,000 in the far south-west of Saudi Arabia. Navantia developed the Avante 2200 class corvettes itself. The 104-metre-long ships are optimised for monitoring coastal waters. The Kingdom will receive a total of five identical vessels of this type worth 1.8 billion euros. The contract was signed in July 2018 and construction of the first ship started at the shipyard in San Fernando just six months later. The new units are being built in quick succession, with the third corvette only being launched at the end of March. The programme is scheduled to end with the handover of the last ship to Saudi Arabia in 2024. Jazan ready for use to the desert state.
The ships are equipped with the Catiz command and weapon deployment system, the Hermesys communication system and the Minerva integrated bridge. Navantia has opted for German technology for the propulsion system: in addition to MTU engines, gearboxes from Renk have been installed.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, Venezuela had also previously decided to purchase Avante 2000 class corvettes. Of the four ships delivered between 2011 and two in 2012, one is out of service following a grounding.
Corvette number 4 and 5 at Navantia
Text: mb; Photos: Navantia
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