Navantia took part in the 2024 edition of the World Defense Show in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), where it presented to international delegations its capabilities in the design and construction of corvettes, frigates and submarines, as well as the progress of its main latest generation programmes, such as the S80 submarine and the F110 latest generation frigate programme, which includes a digital twin.
A large delegation from Navantia, headed by its president, Ricardo Domínguez, was present at the World Defence Show. The delegation had the opportunity to meet with authorities from the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Saudi Arabian Navy. The contract for the construction of five Avante 2200 corvettes for this country has highlighted Navantia’s industrial and technological capabilities, as well as its capacities in the field of systems and the provision of life cycle support and crew training services.
At the exhibition, Navantia also exhibited a new version of its future surface combat ship, christened Smart 8000. This is a conceptual design for a ship designed to confront and neutralise both symmetrical and conventional threats (anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-aircraft), as well as ballistic missile defence (BMD) operations.
Navantia has presented some of its different innovations based on disruptive technologies, such as virtual reality, mixed reality, artificial intelligence, simulation and big data, which add value to products and services:
- Remote assistance service: a service that uses mixed reality to resolve incidents by connecting experts with the crew on board. This innovation marks a milestone in improving maintenance efficiency during the operation of its vessels.
- Hybrid models: technological solution foreseen for use on ships, based on the generation of simulated failure data, to be subsequently processed by artificial intelligence. This solution aims to greatly improve predictive maintenance of critical equipment for which no previous failure data is available.
- Avatar Immersion Tool: a tool for crew training, based on Virtual Reality, through the simulation of crew members converted into avatars, who move in the form of a video game inside a digital replica of the ship, where all the equipment and systems can be found for training in their operation.
The World Defence Show is a leading event for the defence industry, and Navantia was visited during the exhibition by the Secretary of State for Defence, Amparo Valcarce, who was also present at the Spain Day organised by TEDAE in the Spanish pavilion, in which Navantia was participating. During the celebration, the secretary acknowledged the significant impact that international programmes have had on the defence sector and Spanish industry.
Navantia has a solid track record in Saudi Arabia, dating back to 2018, when the contract was signed for the supply of five Avante 2200 corvettes, in addition to the training of 700 RSNF officers, a complete ILS package and lifetime support for five years with an option to extend for a further five years. The SAMINavantia joint venture and the subsidiary Navantia Arabia demonstrate the company’s commitment, as well as its capacity for technology transfer (ToT) and localisation of production.