Spanish Minister of Defense confirmed that five new F-110 frigates will be built by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia in Ferrol starting in May this year. Margarita Robles highlighted “the government’s commitment to Galicia and the creation of jobs” as well as “innovation and technology” in reference to the investment, approved last December, of 4,325 million euros for the construction of the five new generation frigates.
The minister indicated that the order for the execution of the new units could be ready in the month of April “so that in May the contracts between the Ministry and Navantia can be signed and construction started”
“We estimate that the first frigate will be delivered in the year 2025 and the last one in 2030 or 2031”
F-110 frigates are set to replace the Spanish Navy’s Santa Maria-class frigates which have been in service for over 30 years. F-110 frigates will be fitted with the Aegis combat system integrating a new solid state S-band radar by Indra. Lockheed Martin and Indra have been collaborating since 2009 to develop a state-of-the-art S-band solid state radar for Spain’s F-110 Frigate Program, and their cooperation in S-band naval radars dates to 1997 when Indra began supplying components for the SPY-1D radar.
The F-110 project key features are:
Blue and littoral water operations
Reduced crew
Efficiency in terms of operating and life cycle costs
High level of survivability (reduced probability of detection / ability to withstand attacks and complete the mission)
Comprehensive combat system suite covering all warfare areas: AAW, ASW, EW, assymetric warfare
Mission module capability (two helicopters, UXVs…)
It was announced last year that Spain opted for Raytheon’s Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 missile as the primary ship self-defence system for its five new F-110 frigates.
