The Avante 2200 Combatant corvette is designed and built by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia. The vessel is primarily used for surveillance and protection of exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
It is also suited for anti-surface warfare (ASuW), electronic warfare, maritime protection, intelligence gathering, search and rescue (SAR), humanitarian aid, marine pollution control, and the combating of smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
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Avante 2200 Combatant orders and deliveries
A class of four Avante 2200-based patrol vessels entered service with the Venezuelan Navy in 2011.
The Government of Saudi Arabia awarded a €1.8bn ($2.1bn) contract to Navantia to build five Avante 2200 corvettes for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) in July 2018.
Construction on the corvettes commenced at the San Fernando shipyard in Cádiz, Spain, in January 2019. Deliveries are expected to be completed by 2024. Under the contract, the builder is also responsible for providing lifecycle support to the vessels for a base period of five years, with an option for a further five-year extension.
The Avante 2200 corvettes for the RSNF have a length of 104m and beam of 14m. They can travel at a maximum speed of 27k and accommodate up to 102 people. They are equipped with MTU propulsion engines and diesel generators along with RENK gearboxes.
Al-Jubail is the first of the five corvettes built for the RSNF. Its launching ceremony was held in July 2020, and it entered service with the RSNF in a ceremony performed at the Naval Base of La Carraca at San Fernando in March 2022.
The second vessel, named Al-Diriyah, was commissioned in July 2022, while Hail, the third corvette, was delivered in December of the same year.
The fourth RSNF corvette under the Avante 2200 programme, Jazan, was launched in July 2021. It is expected to be delivered in April 2023 and will be followed by the delivery of the fifth and final vessel, Unayzah, in February 2024.
The corvette project is expected to create approximately 6,000 direct and indirect jobs each year, for five years.
Avante 2200 Combatant corvettes design and features
The Avante 2200 corvette has an overall length of 98.9m, maximum beam of 13.6m and design draught of 3.8m. With a full load displacement of about 2,470t, the ship can accommodate up to 111 personnel.
Navantia’s MINERVA integrated bridge is installed amidship to manage the corvette’s operations.
The corvette is also compatible with COMPLEX-SIMPLEX integrated platform management system.
The flight deck and hangar at the stern of the ship support the operation of a 10t-class helicopter, such as an NH-90 or Eurocopter AS 565 Panther.
A 7m rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) is carried on both the port and starboard sides of the ship to perform critical missions at sea under extreme weather conditions. The boats are deployed and recovered using cranes.
Armament
The main gun fitted on the bow section is a Leonardo Super Rapid 76mm machine gun system, which provides a high rate of fire against air and surface targets. The eight-cell vertical launch system (VLS) is installed next to the 76mm cannon for launching surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).
The armament also includes a 30mm machine gun, four 12.7mm machine guns, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, surface-to-surface missile (SSM) systems, decoy launchers and torpedoes.
The corvette is also compatible with the Rheinmetall Oerlikon Millennium 35mm weapon system, designed by Rheinmetall Air Defence.
Command and control system
The Avante 2200 vessel features Navantia’s CATIZ command and control (C2) system, which integrates and manages the on-board sensors and weapons. It also supports identification and classification of targets, electronic warfare management, weapons control, tactical information management, and training.
The vessel’s combat management system comprises seven multi-function consoles, four large-screen displays, a video distribution system, two tactical servers and a tactical data link.
The corvette is fitted with Navantia’s DORNA gun fire control system (GFCS), which features an all-weather radar and full electro-optical (EO) suite director with multi-target video tracking.
Integrated with the ship’s combat management system, the GFCS provides operational support for surveillance, reconnaissance, search and rescue, navigation, and coastal, anti-air and anti-surface capabilities.
Navigation, communication and sensors
The corvettes are outfitted with Navantia’s HERMESYS naval integrated communications control system, which provides voice and data communications for the on-board systems.
The navigation and communication systems installed in the vessel include an identification, friend or foe (IFF) system, navigation radar, echosounder, log, automatic identification system (AIS), two laser gyros, VLF/HF, VHF/UHF, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), satellite communications (SATCOM), Iridium, and Inmarsat communications.
Other sensors on board the vessel include hull-mounted sonar, variable depth sonar, navigation radar, air/surface surveillance 3D radar and electronic support measures (ESM).
Propulsion and performance of Avante 2200
The Avante 2200 corvette is powered by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion system consisting of four diesel engines rated at 4,440kW, two shaft lines and two controllable pitch propellers. It also has four 570kW diesel generators and two reduction gears.
The vessel has a cruising speed of approximately 15k and maximum speed of 25k. The range at cruising speed is 5,000nmi, while endurance is 21 days.
