Spanish shipbuilder Navantia S.A. launched the fifth and last Avante 2200 multi-role corvette for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) on December 4, 2021. With the final corvette underway, Navantia nears completion on the €1.8bn contract awarded by the RSNF under the al-Sarawat program in 2018. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, the contract paved the way to cooperation between Navantia and the Saudi defense industry, with emphasis on the transfer of technology (ToT), and resulted in:
-Establishment of “SAMI-Navantia Naval Industries” joint venture;
-Joint work on Combat System Integration (CSI);
-Launch of HAZEM - the first 100% Saudi naval Combat Management System (CMS);
-On-the-job Training programs.
*Tactical Report disclosed that the RSNF will buy five Avante 2200 corvettes from Navantia four months before it was officially announced in 2018 (and our intelligence disclosed that the deal will include ToT).