San Fernando witnessed a new milestone in one of the most significant naval programmes in Spain’s defence industry. Navantia launched the corvette Almadinah this Thursday, the sixth unit built for the Royal Saudi Navy and the first of a second batch of three vessels contracted by the Saudi Ministry of Defence under the Avante 2200 programme.
The ceremony, held at Navantia’s facilities in San Fernando, included institutional and military representation from both countries. The Royal Saudi Navy’s Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Saleh Al Khathami, described the launch as a significant milestone within the Al Sarawat project, while Navantia’s chairman, Ricardo Domínguez, highlighted the fulfilment of commitments made across both series of corvettes, always delivered on time and within budget.
A strategic programme for Spain’s naval industry
The Avante 2200 programme represents one of Navantia’s most significant international contracts in recent years. Construction of this second series of three corvettes is taking place between the San Fernando and Puerto Real facilities, with the final unit expected to be delivered in 2029. In addition to building the vessels, the contract includes integrated logistics support, crew training, and an operational evaluation period with the involvement of the Spanish Navy at the Rota Naval Base.
The programme generates an estimated workload of four million hours, equivalent to an average of 2,200 daily jobs throughout its execution, with more than twenty auxiliary companies and fifty national and international suppliers involved.
FJ’s role in the Avante 2200 programme
Within this industrial network, FJ plays a technical role in supplying critical systems for the Avante 2200 programme corvettes. Our scope includes the Prior electric valve control system, covering the supply and commissioning of valves fitted with electric actuators and their corresponding control cabinets; the quick-closing valve system, covering supply and commissioning of valves and actuation cabinets; HTS sealing solutions for electrical cable transits, with the added requirement of fire resistance alongside watertightness against water, gases and smoke; and our manual Saval valves, including those requiring classification society certification.
This type of integrated supply, in which a single manufacturer takes technical responsibility for the valve, its control system and the associated sealing solution, reduces the risk of incompatibility between subsystems and simplifies both onboard integration and future vessel maintenance.
A programme running through to 2029
The corvette Almadinah will be delivered in Spain, while the two remaining units of this second batch will subsequently be transported to Saudi Arabia to complete combat system integration and final testing there, following the same model used for the last two units of the first series.
The relationship between Navantia and Saudi Arabia could expand further in the coming years: in November 2022, both parties signed a memorandum of understanding to study a future multimission vessel programme that would involve the construction of five additional units, aimed at progressively increasing the involvement of Saudi industry.
For FJ, taking part in programmes of this scale confirms our capability to operate as a technical manufacturer and integrator in high-demand military naval projects, with an established presence in some of the world’s leading shipyards and programmes.
