Al Taweelah handover marks completion of Leonardo upgrade for Bahraini navy
RBNF Ahmed Al Fateh-class missile boat. (Photo: RBNF)
After seven years, Leonardo has handed over the last of six upgraded vessels for the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
Leonardo has completed a seven-year, six-vessel upgrade programme for the Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF).
The Italian company announced on 5 April 2022 that it handed over the Ahmed Al Fateh-class guided-missile boat Al Taweelah to the RBNF in late March following a successful integrated sea acceptance test.
Upgrade work included the installation of a new Leonardo combat management system, training services and logistics support.
The RBNF awarded Leonardo a €50 million ($57.1 million) contract in 2015 to upgrade six naval vessels. Bahrain received its first upgraded ship (the guided-missile craft Al Manama) in December 2017.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
