Spanish state-owned shipbuilding company Navantia has announced the launch of the third of the five Avante 2200 corvettes built for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF).
Known as HAIL, the ship is named after the HAIL city in the north of Saudi Arabia.
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The ship’s launching event was held by Navantia shipyard in San Fernando in the presence of Navantia and RSNF officials.
SAMI Navantia Naval Industries (SAMINavantia) is a joint venture (JV) formed between state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and Navantia to design and construct the five Avante 2200 corvettes for RSNF.
Corvette HAIL has a length of 104m and a beam of 14m. It can transport a total of 102 people, including crew members and passengers.
It is designed to cruise at a maximum speed of 27kt and has the capacity to carry provisions on board for 21 days.
The contract to build the HAIL corvette came into force in November 2018.
According to the Spanish ship builder, this contract meant a workload of over seven million hours, which is 6,000 jobs per annum for five years.
The last vessel under the Avante 2200 programme will be delivered in 2024.
The Avante 2200 corvette is a multirole vessel that can support surveillance and maritime control, as well as search and rescue missions.
The vessel incorporates Navantia’s CATIZ Combat System, the HERMESYS Integrated Communications System, the DORNA Firing Direction, the Integrated Platform Control System, and the MINERVA Integrated Bridge.
It also features equipment such as the MTU Engines or the RENK Reduction Gearboxes developed by Navantia under licence.
The contract also includes the supply of several services, including integrated logistic support (ILS), operational and maintenance training, supply of training and education centres for the combat system, and platform control system of the ships.
The contract also includes providing life cycle support and the systems for the maintenance of the ships in the Jeddah Naval Base of Saudi Arabia.
In October 2019, SAMINavantia laid the keel on the first Avante 2200 corvette for the RSNF.
