Royal Saudi Navy

The Navy was founded in 1960^[8][5] and began a significant expansion with United States assistance in 1972 aiming to match the Imperial Iranian Navy. Following the Iranian Revolution a further expansion programme, Sawari, was initiated with French assistance. Further vessels were purchased from Britain and France in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1980, U.S. defense contractor Science Applications International Corporation began work with the Royal Saudi Navy to design and integrate the country's own command, control, and communications (C3) centers.^[9]

The navy is a modern force with foreign built ships:

• French-built frigates and support vessels
• U.S.-built corvettes and patrol boats
• British-built Sandown-class minehunters

Frigates edit

4 Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) ordered by Royal Saudi Navy in 2019. The ship is derived from the Freedom-class littoral combat ship but with upgraded features. The deliveries of the MMSC will begin in June 2023.^[10]

Photo	Number	Ship	Builder	Completed	Status
			Marinette Marine		On order
					On order
					On order
					On order

3 Al Riyadh-class frigates are modified versions of the La Fayette-class frigate (built by DCN, Lorient).^[11] Each has a fully loaded displacement of 4,725 tons, and is armed with eight MBDA Exocet MM40 Block II surface-to-surface missiles (SSM), two eight-cell Sylver vertical launch systems for the Eurosam (MBDA and Thales) Aster 15 surface-to-air missile (SAM), an Oto Melara 76 mm/62 Super Rapid gun, and four 533 mm aft torpedo tubes. The ships are armed with the DCNS F17 heavyweight anti-submarine torpedo. The helicopter deck at the stern has a single landing spot for a medium size helicopter, such as the Eurocopter AS 365 Dauphin or the larger AS 532 Cougar or NH90 helicopters.^[11]

Photo	Number	Ship	Builder	Commissioned	Status	Namesake
	812	Al Riyadh	DCN Lorient	2002	In active service	Riyadh City
	814	Makkah		2003	In active service	Makkah City
	816	Dammam		2004	In active service	Dammam City

4 Al Madinah-class frigates based in the Red Sea, built in France (Arsenal de Marine, Lorient (French Government Dockyard and CNIM, La Seyne) in the mid-1980s. Their full load displacement is 2,610 tons and they are armed with eight Otomat surface-to-surface missiles, one 8-cell Crotale surface-to-air missile launcher (26 missiles total), one 100 mm/44 dual-purpose gun, two 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, four torpedo tubes, an aft helicopter deck and hangar; one Dauphin helicopter.

Photo	Number	Ship	Builder	Completed	Status
	702	Al Madinah	Arsenal de Lorient	4 January 1985	In active service
	704	Hofouf	CNIM, La Seyne	31 October 1985	In active service
	706	Abha		4 April 1986	In active service
	708	Taif		29 August 1986	In active service

It was believed the Saudis intended to order two new British-built Type 45 destroyers,^[12] however production of the destroyers came to an end with no order made. Another destroyer that the Saudis are considering is the American built Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, having been briefed by the US Navy in May 2011 on the acquisition of two destroyers in a package that also includes an unknown number of Littoral Combat Ships.^[13]

Corvettes edit

5 Avante-class corvettes ordered by Royal Saudi Navy in 2018. The corvettes have been built by Spanish company Navantia.

Photo	Number	Ship	Builder	Completed	Status	Namesake
	828	Al Jubail[14]	Navantia	2022	In active service	Al Jubail City
	830	Al Diriyah[15]		2022	In active service	Al Diriyah City
	832	Hail[16]		2022	In active service	Hail City
	834	Jazan[17]		2023	Delivered	Jazan City
	836	Unaizah		2024	Delivered	Unaizah City

4 Badr-class corvettes built in the United States in 1981–83, based in the Persian Gulf, full load displacement of 1,038 tons, armament of eight Harpoon SSM, one 76 mm OTO Melara DP gun, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, two 20 mm guns, one 81 mm mortar, two 40 mm grenade launchers, two triple 12.75 inch torpedo tubes.

Photo	Number	Ship	Builder	Completed	Status
	612	Badr	Tacoma Boatbuilding	1981	In active service
	614	Al Yarmook		1982	In active service
	616	Hitteen		1982	In active service
	618	Tabuk		1983	In active service

Patrol boats edit

24 Al Sadiq-class patrol boats built in the United States (Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin) 1972–1980, full load displacement of 495 tons, armed with four Harpoon SSM, one 76 mm OTO gun, one 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, two 20 mm guns, one 81 mm mortar, two 40 mm grenade launchers, two triple 12.75 inch torpedo tubes.

Photo	Number	Ship	Builder	Completed	Status
	511	As-Siddiq (الصّدّيق)	Peterson Builders	1980	In active service
	513	Al-Farouq (الفاروق)		1981	In active service
	515	Abdul-Aziz		1981	In active service
	517	Faisal		1981	In active service
	519	Khalid		1982	In active service
	521	Amr		1982	In active service
	523	Tariq		1982	In active service
	525	Ouqbah		1982	In active service
	527	Abu Obaidah		1982	In active service

• Possible sale of 30 Mark V Special Operations Craft^{[18][needs update?]}

Minesweepers edit

3 Sandown-class minehunters (built by Vosper Thornycroft, Woolston), full load displacement of 480 tons:

Photo	Number	Ship	Builder	Completed	Status
	420	Al Jawf	Vosper Thornycroft	1991	In active service
	422	Shaqra		1993	In active service
	424	Al Kharj		1994	In active service

Support vessels edit

2 French built Boraida-class replenishment oiler (modified Durance-class replenishment ships built by CN La Ciotat, with a helicopter deck aft and hangars for 2 helicopters.

Photo	Number	Ship	Builder	Completed	Status
	902	Boraida	CN La Ciotat	1984	In active service
	904	Yunbou		1985	In active service

Others edit

Many smaller patrol craft, two Danish-built royal yachts

• Prince Abdul Aziz (1983–84) – built by Helsingør Værft
• Al Yamana (Built for Iraq 1981; entered service in Saudi Arabia in 1988)

The Royal Saudi Navy maintains two, 10,000-man marine brigades consisting of three battalions each. The brigades are assigned to the Western Fleet headquartered in Jeddah and the Eastern Fleet headquartered in Jubail. The brigades are equipped with 500 Pegaso BMR AFVs and HMMWVs.

Germany will supply 48 patrol boats to Saudi Arabia within the framework of its border security project, a cost of 1.5 billion euros has been noted for this deal. Lürssen has already started building 15 patrol vessels for the project's first phase. The patrol boats to be procured under the current contract come in two forms. The first are the 'TNC 35' models, which are 35-meter-long and are propelled by two diesel engines with a combined output of 7,800 kilowatts. The boat can reach speeds of up to 40 knots. The second models, 'FPB 38' are 38-meter-long and can reach speeds of up to 31 knots. As of November 2016 1 TNC 35 has been delivered to Saudi Arabia.^[19]

Saudi Arabia wants to buy five German submarines for around €2.5 billion ($3.4 billion) and more than two dozen more in the future.^[20]

In December 2014, the U.S. awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for a Foreign Military Sale of the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System to Saudi Arabia. With no surface ships compatible with the Mk 41 and no plans to acquire a land-based missile defense system, this indicates the country is close to purchasing a VLS-equipped surface combatant. Saudi Arabia has evaluated the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and the Multi-mission Combat Ship version of the Freedom-class littoral combat ship able to carry a VLS.^[21] In October 2015, the US Congress was informed of a possible sale of Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) Ships, a variant of the LCS.^[22]

In July 2018 it was announced that Navantia had signed an agreement with the Royal Saudi Navy for the production of 5 Avante 2000 Corvettes with the last to be delivered by 2022 at a cost of approximately 2 billion Euros.^[23]

• Jeddah (Al-Qadima military port)– Red Sea base home to the navy's Western fleet for frigates and 2 missile boats, 1 replenishing ship and 1 patrol minesweeper; located north of the King Faisal Naval Base air station and south of the container port area
• Jubail – Persian Gulf base is home to the navy's Eastern fleet; smaller base home to corvettes, replenishing ship remaining missile boats and minesweepers
• Dammam (Ras Al-Ghar military port)^[24] – Persian Gulf home port for the Saudi Royal family's two Royal Yachts

Officer ranks

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Royal Saudi Navy[25] v t e
			فريق أول‎‎ Fariq 'awal		فريق Fariq		لواء Liwa		عميد Amid		عقيد Aqid		مقدم Muqaddam		رائد Ra'id		نقيب Naqib		ملازم أول Mulazim awwal			ملازم Mulazim

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Royal Saudi Navy[25] v t e																																			No insignia
							رقيب أول Raqib 'awal		رقيب Raqib		وكيل رقيب Wakil raqib												عريف Earif						جندي أول Jundiun awwal						جندي‎‎ Jundiun‎‎

On 30 January 2017 Al-Madinah was attacked by Houthi rebels using a suicide boat, killing 2 sailors and wounding 3 others.^[26] The attack took place near the port city of Al Hudaydah, 150 kilometers southwest of the Yemeni capital Sana'a.

• Coast guard

Sources edit

• Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995

Notes edit