Spain’s Navantia expects new warship sales to Saudi Arabia

MADRID — Navantia’s fourth of five Avante 2200 corvettes will be delivered to the Saudi Royal Navy next week, as the Spanish shipbuilder expects to receive a proposal from the Kingdom by 2024 to build five new multi-mission combat ships.

Navantia was contracted by Saudi Arabia in 2018 to build five corvettes based on the Avante 2200 design and adapted to specific requirements, including the ability to operate in extreme temperatures. The program, dubbed Alsarawat, called for the units to be delivered on a fast schedule, which meant the company eventually had to produce a ship every four months.

While the first three vessels were commissioned in Spain, the final two will be inaugurated in Saudi Arabia.

After delivery, the latest vessel will undergo further testing, Agustín Alvarez, naval construction director at Navantia told Defense News on the sidelines of the FEINDEF defense exhibition here. He added that additional non-European countries had shown interest in the ships.

Roughly 500 prospective crew members from the Royal Saudi Naval Force (RSNF) are now undergoing training at a Navantia facility in San Fernando, Spain.

In recent years, the Spanish manufacturer has increasingly looked to deepen its cooperation with Riyadh. It recently created a joint venture with Saudi Arabia Military Industries (SAMI) – now known as SAMINavantia – to position its platforms in the Arab market. The two organizations developed the first Saudi naval combat management system, the Hazem.

Last year, Navantia signed an Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Ministry of Defense to explore an opportunity to build a number of multi-mission combat ships. Alvarez confirmed that the country is eying five of these types of vessels, and that the company expects to receive a further detailed proposal for requirements by 2024.

Under the agreement, the Spanish firm would localize up to 100 percent of naval shipbuilding, integration of combat systems and ship maintenance to contribute to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives, the monarchy’s signature political agenda. Navantia officials are currently assessing which local shipbuilders and manufacturers would best fit into a program.

Gulf countries have often looked to European shipyards to meet their naval weaponry needs: France’s Naval Group has been the choice for the United Arab Emirates, Italy’s Fincantieri is Qatar’s go-to maritime partner, and Saudi Arabia has turned to Spain’s Navantia for its largest acquisition program in the naval sector.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

马德里——西班牙造船商纳凡蒂亚公司建造的五艘 Avante 2200 型轻型护卫舰中的第四艘将于下周交付给沙特皇家海军。该公司预计到 2024 年将收到沙特王国的一份建造五艘新型多用途作战舰艇的提案。

2018年，沙特阿拉伯与纳凡蒂亚公司签订合同，建造五艘基于Avante 2200设计并根据特定要求进行调整的轻型护卫舰，其中包括在极端温度下运行的能力。该项目名为“Alsarawat”，要求快速交付，这意味着纳凡蒂亚公司最终必须每四个月建造一艘舰艇。

前三艘舰艇在西班牙下水，最后两艘将在沙特阿拉伯下水。

纳凡蒂亚造船厂海军建造总监阿古斯丁·阿尔瓦雷斯在法兰克福举行的欧洲国防工业联合会（FEINDEF）防务展期间接受《防务新闻》采访时表示，最新交付的舰艇将接受进一步测试。他还补充说，其他一些非欧洲国家也对这些舰艇表现出了兴趣。

大约 500 名来自沙特皇家海军 (RSNF) 的准船员目前正在西班牙圣费尔南多的纳凡蒂亚设施接受培训。

近年来，这家西班牙制造商日益寻求深化与利雅得的合作。近期，它与沙特阿拉伯军事工业公司（SAMI）成立了一家合资企业——现名为SAMINavantia——旨在将其产品平台推向阿拉伯市场。两家公司共同研发了沙特阿拉伯首个海军作战管理系统——Hazem。

去年，纳凡蒂亚公司与沙特国防部签署了一份谅解备忘录，探讨建造多艘多用途作战舰艇的可能性。阿尔瓦雷斯证实，沙特正在考虑建造五艘此类舰艇，该公司预计将在2024年前收到更详细的需求方案。

根据协议，这家西班牙公司将实现高达100%的海军造船、​​作战系统集成和舰艇维护本地化，以助力实现沙特阿拉伯王国“2030愿景”的目标，这是沙特王室的标志性政治议程。纳凡蒂亚公司官员目前正在评估哪些当地造船企业和制造商最适合参与该计划。

海湾国家经常向欧洲造船厂寻求满足其海军武器需求：法国海军集团是阿拉伯联合酋长国的选择，意大利芬坎蒂尼是卡塔尔首选的海事合作伙伴，沙特阿拉伯则选择了西班牙纳凡蒂亚来开展其在海军领域最大的采购项目。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。