JAKARTA – The inaugural vessel in a fleet of advanced naval combatants being constructed for Saudi Arabia’s Royal Naval Forces has been officially launched at a Wisconsin shipyard, marking a significant milestone in the Kingdom’s naval modernization efforts.

Ceremonial Launch and Technical Achievement

A blessing ceremony for the first-of-class HMS Saud (820) took place at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine facility on December 13. The warship had been moved from the construction facility to the waterfront in late October, with the vessel entering the water on December 20, 2025, utilizing a newly installed syncrolift system.

According to local maritime observers, the MMSC represents the inaugural vessel to be floated using this advanced syncrolift, which was installed as part of the shipyard’s infrastructure enhancements originally intended to support the now-cancelled Constellation-class frigate program.

Strategic Naval Development

Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Ghuraibi, Chief of Naval Staff for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, emphasized that the Tuwaiq Project constitutes a pivotal and strategic initiative in the development trajectory of Saudi Arabia’s maritime defense capabilities. He described the project as embodying the Kingdom’s commitment to establishing a modern and professional naval force founded on cutting-edge military technologies, complemented by advanced training and qualification programs for personnel.

The senior naval officer highlighted that the project strengthens the readiness of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces to safeguard the Kingdom’s strategic interests and secure critical maritime routes. He noted that the vessels are equipped with state-of-the-art combat systems enabling them to execute diverse naval warfare operations and engage aerial, surface, and subsurface threats.

Procurement Background

The four Multi-Mission Surface Combatant vessels—a multi-role variant of the US Navy’s Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship—are being acquired by Saudi Arabia through a Foreign Military Sales agreement signed in May 2017. The class is designed to serve as the foundation of a modernized Royal Saudi Naval Forces eastern fleet under the Saudi Naval Expansion Program II.

Lockheed Martin serves as the prime contractor for the Tuwaiq program, with Gibbs & Cox (a Leidos division) responsible for functional design, and Fincantieri Marinette Marine handling vessel construction. The Foreign Military Sales agreement also encompasses crew training for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, along with shore support training and integration services.

Technical Specifications and Capabilities

The MMSC utilizes the same 118-meter hull and combined diesel and gas propulsion system as the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship. However, it diverges from the LCS ‘mission module’ concept by incorporating a comprehensive multi-mission combat system.

Key armament systems include MBDA’s Sea Ceptor system utilizing Common Anti-air Modular Missile effectors quad-packed in an eight-cell Mk 41 vertical launcher positioned forward of the superstructure, two quad launchers for Boeing Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and two Nexter Narwhal 20mm remote weapon stations.

Significant modifications from the US Navy’s Freedom-class baseline include the integration of a Saab Ceros 200 fire control radar and Indra’s Rigel electronic support measures system.

Shared Systems with US Navy

Equipment common to the late-build standard Freedom-class LCS includes the Lockheed Martin COMBATSS-21 combat management system (developed from the Aegis Common Source Library), Hensoldt TRS-4D multimode surveillance radar, BAE Systems’ Mk 110 57mm medium-caliber gun, Raytheon Mk 15 Mod 31 SeaRAM inner-layer missile system, and Lockheed Martin’s ALEX 130mm decoy launching system.

The vessels also feature aviation facilities capable of operating and supporting an MH-60R helicopter, plus unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities. Saudi Arabia has separately acquired a fleet of 10 MH-60R helicopters through an additional Foreign Military Sales agreement.

Program Timeline and Challenges

The MMSC program has experienced substantial delays beyond its original schedule. Vessel deliveries to the Naval Sea Systems Command’s International Small Combatants program office (PMS 525) were initially planned for completion by the end of 2025.

However, the program has encountered repeated schedule adjustments attributed to shipyard disruptions resulting from the pandemic period, workforce shortages at the facility, the duration required to finalize the MMSC design, and design modifications requested by the Saudi customer.

Despite these challenges, the launch of HMS Saud represents a concrete step forward in the Kingdom’s naval modernization strategy and its broader Vision 2030 defense diversification objectives.

Original Article:

Naval News. (2025, December 24). First Saudi MMSC launched by Fincantieri in Wisconsin. Retrieved from https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/12/first-saudi-mmsc-launched-by-fincantieri-in-wisconsin/