The Saudi Ministry of Defense and Navantia have signed a new contract for the design and construction of a second series of three AVANTE 2200 corvettes, of the same class as those already delivered to the Royal Saudi Navy.
The signing ceremony, held in Riyadh, was attended by the president of Navantia, Ricardo DomÃnguez, and the commander of the Royal Saudi Navy (RSNF), Admiral Mohamed Alghuraybi; as well as the Assistant Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Khaled Al Biyari; the Spanish ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Jorge Hevia; and the Director General of Armament and Material (DGAM) of the Ministry of Defense, Admiral Aniceto Rosique, among other authorities.
Construction of the corvettes will begin this year and the last ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2028. Navantia will be responsible for the delivery of the first unit, while the second and third will be completed in Saudi Arabia with the installation, integration and testing of the combat system, as was the case in the previous contract.
The contract includes the provision of an integrated logistics support package and crew training, together with a period of operational evaluation of the vessels by the Navy at the Rota naval base, where Navantia will offer support services. In addition, Navantia will train a hundred Saudi engineers.
This contract represents approximately four million hours of work for the Bay of Cadiz, generating an impact of up to 2,000 jobs (direct, indirect and induced employment).