Saudi Navy News

 Saudi Arabia's defense ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Spanish state-owned Navantia company on Wednesday to build multi-mission combat ships for the Saudi Navy, the Saudi state news agency (SPA) reported early on Thursday."The MoU aims to raise the level of readiness of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces to enhance maritime security in the region, and protect the vital and strategic interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,"  it said.According to the agreement, the Spanish company "would localize up to 100% of naval shipbuilding, integration of combat systems, and ship main

U.S. shipyards are making improvements to building ships for the Navy and Coast Guard today and in the future. In some cases, it means phasing out one class of ship and getting ready for the next. Or, it can be a drastic make-over.The yards include mid-tier yards all the way up to very large facilities devoted exclusively to warships. The ships range from the 353-ton Fast Response Cutter to the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin…

The U.S. Navy needs more ships. And that means the Navy has to build more ships than it is decommissioning.The sea service has a stated a goal of 355 ships, and as many as 500 and more when unmanned platforms are counted. There are 298 ships in the fleet today. For surface ships, this number includes a high-low mix of highly capable large surface combatants, and smaller ships such as littoral combat ships LCS).The Navy’s smallest combatants are the 330-ton, 197-foot coastal patrol boats (PCs). Up until recently, ten of them have been serving in the Middle East with the U.S.

When he served as the commander of NWSC Carderock, Mark Vandroff woke every morning knowing that his counterpart in China had just gone to bed and had spent that day trying to make China’s Navy superior. His job, he figured, was to “get cracking and work to make our Navy even better.” Now the CEO at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Vandroff brings that passion for navy shipbuilding – and delivering on the new USN Constellation-class frigates contract – to work every day.Introducing a new class of warship usually comes with a heaping helping of pain, from cost overruns to technical glitches.

U.S.-based marine defense provider Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) has acquired Welin Lambie, a U.K.-based manufacturer of davits used specifically for the launch and recovery of all types of craft from ships or shore-based installations.The acquisition further expands FMD’s capabilities and service solutions for shipyard, defense and commercial marine customers, including the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Canadian Coast Guard. Additionally, FMD’s acquisition of Welin Lambie enhances its product and service offerings for future uncrewed ship programs…

Introducing a new class of warship can be fraught with pain, and the first ship is always the hardest – almost always behind schedule and over budget. And trying something new and transformational is even harder.The U.S. Navy knows this from experience. That’s one reason why the Navy is opting for a lower risk design for its next class of guided missile frigates (FFGs).Just about every new class has experienced a rough start. Although the USS Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile destroyers (DDGs) today represent the largest and most successful class of warships…

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it had intercepted an explosive-laden boat off the Red Sea port of Yanbu after maritime security firms cited "unconfirmed reports" of an attack on a vessel in the area.A Saudi defense ministry statement on state media did not say whether there had been any damage as a result of the operation by the Saudi navy to intercept and destroy the remote-controlled boat.Security firm Dryad Global had earlier said it received "unconfirmed reports" that a vessel…

Fairbanks Morse shipped a PA6B STC engine to Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) shipyard on April 16, 2021, an engine will be installed on the first ship of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) project. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the MMSC project, and the vessel is being constructed by its partner FMM in Marinette, Wisconsin. Four MMSC ships will be constructed at FMM.

A Saudi-led military coalition fighting against Yemen's Houthi movement foiled an attack by two explosives-laden remote controlled boats deployed by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia's Jizan port, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Sunday.“The Royal Saudi Navy Forces detected the movement of two remote control explosive boats headed to the port of Jizan. They were intercepted and destroyed... which has led to minimal damage," the coalition's spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement carried by SPA.

OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) announced it has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to provide its Integrated Bridge and Navigation System (IBNS) for the first four ships of the Royal Saudi Navy’s (RSN) Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) program.  OSI will build and deliver a military grade system for the MMSC program based on the system designed for the U.S. Navy Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program.The company was awarded the LCS-27 contract by Lockheed Martin in November 2017.As a company that is exclusively focused on the naval market, OSI’s IBNS is designed and built specifically for warships and meets stringent military specification demanded by both the USN and RSN.

The Saudi navy has captured three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from a boat seized last week as it approached the kingdom's offshore Marjan oilfield, the Saudi information ministry said on Monday. Relations between the two countries are at their worst in years, with each accusing the other of subverting regional security and support opposite sides in conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. "This was one of three vessels which were intercepted by Saudi forces. It was captured with the three men on board, the other two escaped," a statement from the ministry's center for international communications said. "The three captured members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are now being questioned by Saudi authorities," it said, citing a Saudi official.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) warned Saudi naval vessels taking part in military exercises in the Gulf on Wednesday not to get close to Iranian waters. "The Revolutionary Guards naval forces believe this war game is mainly to create tension and destabilise the Persian Gulf," the IRGC said in a statement published on Tasnim news agency. Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin

Combat, Patrol and Law Enforcement Vessels Meet Multiple Missions with varied business plans. U.S. firms building patrol, combat and law enforcement craft are weathering government budget cuts by strengthening ties with clients and public agencies. These unique boats remain in demand because of terrorism, crime, wars, piracy and fire, and most serve multiple missions. As maritime nations beef up their defense capabilities, U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) programs help builders do business overseas.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday the presence of a large convoy of Iranian cargo ships in the Arabian Sea was one factor in the U.S. decision to deploy additional warships in the waters off war-torn Yemen but was not the primary reason for the move. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, also said he did not believe Navy warships patrolling the region had been in direct contact with the Iranian flotilla of nine cargo ships. Warren dismissed reports the carrier USS Theodore…

Joint Egyptian-Saudi navy maneuver Morgan 15 is underway in the Red Sea waters of Saudi Arabia. According to the military spokesperson Mohamed Samir, the exercise was part of joint training of the Armed Forces with friendly countries to enhance prospects of cooperation and exchange of training experience between the forces of the two countries. Both countries share a strong bond of partnership and strategic cooperation in many fields to lay foundations of security and stability in the Middle East. The exercises include planning joint maritime hostilities day and night, training on interception at sea, combating submarines, supply and refueling and combating smuggling and piracy.

Around 2,100 sailors, US Marine Corps, US Navy commanders and other onboard crew members participated along with representatives from the Royal Saudi Navy and the Foreign Affairs Ministry in the official reception of American amphibious assault ship “USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7),” which docked at Jeddah Islamic Port on Tuesday. US Consul General Thomas Duffy received the onboard crew led by commanding officer of the USS Iwo Jima Capt. Grady Banister over a well-attended aboard banquet. According to Banister, the purpose of the maritime visit to Saudi Arabia was to carry out naval training with members of the Royal Saudi Navy, which is part of the US naval cooperative relationship with regional partners.