First of five new Royal Saudi Naval Forces corvettes launched
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia launched the first of five corvettes being manufactured for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces in a ceremony at the San Fernando facility on 22 July.
The Al Jubail has a length of 104m, a beam of 14m and will be able to accommodate 102 crew and additional personnel. The corvette is designed to reach a maximum speed of 27kt and capable of sustaining operations for 21 days.
The corvettes are the latest generation of Navantia-designed combatants and incorporates the CATIZ CMS, DORNA FCS, a 76mm main gun from Leonardo, Rheinmetall 35mm CIWS, MTU propulsion and RENK gearboxes.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
How the Hormuz mine threat exposes potential Baltic MCM shortfalls
Ageing Baltic vessels and an absence of active minehunting vessel programmes in the region have been put under the spotlight in the recent conflict.
-
“We must end the mentality of ever larger platforms”: Why USVs are scaling
Multiple USV programme milestones announced last week, aligned with a reinforcement of the Royal Navy’s vision for a hybrid fleet, point to innovation-led ambition but also to a structural calculation with resource ceilings that neither London nor Washington can ignore.
-
As uncrewed naval systems advance, capabilities to counter them are emerging
Research programmes and system procurement efforts to counter uncrewed surface and underwater vehicle threats are accelerating as naval drone uptake spreads.
-
US Coast Guard to receive the first three Offshore Patrol Cutters in FY2026 and FY2027
After recording a nearly six-year delay in the OPC schedule, the USCG intends to advance with the programme, reaching multiple milestones in the short term.