News from Navantia, Spain

Navantia launches fourth corvette for the Saudi Navy

Navantia shipyard in San Fernando (Cadiz) hosted the launching ceremony of construction 549, the Jazan corvette for the Royal Navy of Saudi Arabia. The President of Navantia, Ricardo Domínguez García-Baquero and Commander of the Saudi Navy, Vice Admiral Fahad Bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily, presided over the event. Jazan corvette is the fourth of the series of five included in the Avante 2200 programme.

Royal Australian Navy commissions HMAS Supply

Navantia and Navantia Australia congratulated the Royal Australian Navy on the commissioning of HMAS Supply (II), lead ship for the Supply Class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) vessels. HMAS Supply was built at Navantia’s shipyard in Ferrol, Spain, with her final fit-out performed at Garden Island, Western Australia in late 2020. Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group AOR Systems Programme Office (SPO) and Navantia Australia formed the AORSPO Enterprise to deliver industry-leading asset management to support the AOR capability through life. Navantia Australia will act as Prime Contractor and manage the through life support for these vessels for their first five years of service. As the design authority for the Supply class, Navantia Australia is also providing configuration and baseline management as an integral component of the through life support for these vessels.

Spanish Navy

His Majesty King Felipe VI, accompanied by Her Majesty the Queen, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias and Her Royal Highness Infanta Sofia presided over the launching ceremony of S-81, the first submarine of S-80 class, in Navantia shipyard in Cartagena (Murcia, Spain). The S-81, which will be named ‘Isaac Peral’, is the first submarine designed and built in Spain. This represents a strong commitment with national technological development, and thus, with national defence as well as with the international positioning of Spanish industrial sector.

With S-80 programme, Spain becomes one of the few countries that can design and build submarines, an extremely complex task because these vessels must operate autonomously in a hostile environment. The S-80 programme is the greatest industrial and technological challenge ever faced by the national defence industry. Navantia is taking a huge technological step forward, as it is taking the role of Technical Design Authority for the first time. In addition, Navantia is completing the cycle of technological evolution: from building in Spain with a foreign design to building in Spain with Spanish design.

The submarines will have an overall length of 80.8 metres, a diameter of 7.3 metres, and a submerged displacement of around 3,000 tonnes. They include the integrated combat system and platform control system developed by Navantia Sistemas the integrated platform control system developed by Navantia Sistemas. They will have BEST-AIP, an atmosphere-independent propulsion system, which supplies the ship with electrical power at any depth so that it can remain underwater for longer periods.

The next phases will be harbour tests and sea tests, which include sailing up to the maximum operating depth. The first sailing is scheduled for early 2022 and delivery to the Navy in early 2023.

NUSHIP Stalwart arrives at HMAS Stirling

After a 30 day transit across the world’s oceans, NUSHIP Stalwart arrived safely at Fleet Base West in Western Australia in June 2021. NUSHIP Stalwart is the second of two Supply Class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) ships built for the Royal Australian Navy by Navantia, S.A., S.M.E. The Australian Supply Class ships are based on the Spanish Navy’s Cantabria Class design. Navantia Australia is supporting NUSHIP Stalwart and sister ship, HMAS Supply, through life as the Prime Contractor under the AORSPO Enterprise for the first five years’ of service. Navantia Australia established its Sustainment Support Centre in 2020 at the AMC Jakovich Centre, Henderson, Western Australia specifically to provide first class asset management for NUSHIP Stalwart. NUSHIP Stalwart will commence final fit-out and testing activities at HMAS Stirling after clearing custom and quarantine, and will commission into service with the Royal Australian Navy later this year.

Navantia Training Centre (NTC) in San Fernando

Navantia has opened in the city of San Fernando (Cádiz) its Navantia Training Centre (NTC), which will be a key asset for the company in its pursuit of excellence and a leading training centre in the naval industry. The NTC will host both internal and external activities. Three main lines of in-house activities are planned for the NTC: training programmes for ship crews; training and coaching for Navantia personnel; and exclusive events such as conferences, seminars, technological events, exhibitions, team boosters, internal communication events, marketing 4.0 and commercial intelligence activities, Corporate Social Responsibility activities, etc.

Successful tropicalisation of F-311 frigate

The Norwegian Defence Material Agency ( NDMA) has congratulated Navantia and its subcontractors for the successful completion of the tropicalisation of HNoMS F- 311 Roald Amundsen, second of the Fridjof Nansen Class (F310) that Navantia designed and built for the Norwegian Navy between 2000 and 2011. These works, for which the contract was signed on July 2020, has significantly improved the cooling capacity of the F311 frigate, which will allow it to navigate in conditions of much warmer ambient and water temperatures than the traditional operational scenarios of the Royal Norwegian Navy.

Navantia shortlisted for Poland ToT frigate programme

The offer submitted by Navantia to the Polish Ministry of Defence to build three frigates in a Technology Transfer (ToT) programme has been selected in a ‘short list’ along with two other finalists. Now, Navantia will participate in the Viability Phase in order to propose a design that further adjusts to the requirements of the Armaments Inspectorate of the Polish Ministry of Defence. The final decision on the contractor is expected in 2022. The offer presented by Navantia is based on the design of the F-100, in service for the Spanish Navy, which has been the starting point for successful export contracts to Norway and Australia. The Miecznik programme for the construction of frigates is part of an ambitious plan launched by the Polish Government to modernise its armed forces with an investment of 115 billion euros until 2035.