The Sarawat Project is one of the strategic partnership projects between the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and the Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia. It aims to manufacture five multi-mission combat naval vessels to enhance the capabilities of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and localize 50 percent of the military industries by 2030, as a part of achieving one of the targets of Saudi Vision 2030.
Significance
The Sarawat project constitutes sustainable systems for decades with qualitative capabilities, characterized by possessing combat systems to deal with aerial, surface, and subsurface threats, as well as electronic warfare. The project contributes to enhancing the readiness of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, strengthening maritime security in the region, and protecting the Kingdom's vital strategic interests. The ships will be equipped with the first Saudi naval combat management system "Hazm", supporting the localization of military industries through the transfer of advanced technology and nurturing national talents. This will enhance the readiness of the Royal Saudi Navy personnel through on-the-job training programs.
Phases
The project involved preparatory phases that began with the construction and launching of the five ships sequentially. The first of these, His Majesty's Ship al-Jubayl, arrived at the King Faisal Naval Base in the Western Fleet on August 25, 2022, after four years of construction.
The project phases are accompanied by logistical services, technical support, and long-term post-delivery support. This includes supplying ground testing facilities, equipment, and systems for the naval base to maintain ships, training ship crews to maintain combat equipment and integrated main platforms, developing combat capabilities and platforms, and testing them, in addition to practical application on training simulators and operational sea training.
The defensive addition to the Sarawat project
The project has bolstered the capabilities of the Royal Saudi Navy in the field of maritime technology systems and advanced the Saudi defense ecosystem by incorporating the five ships of the "Avante 2200 Corvette" model, namely, "His Majesty's Ship al-Jubayl", "His Majesty's Ship ad-Dir'iyyah", "His Majesty's Ship Hail", "His Majesty's Ship Jazan", and "His Majesty's Ship Unayzah".
The Royal Saudi Naval Forces operates two fleets: the Eastern Fleet in the Arabian Gulf and the Western Fleet in the Red Sea. Each fleet comprises a full military force consisting of combat vessels, support units, administrative and technical support, maritime aviation groups, marine infantry, and special naval security units.
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