The identity of the first two of the 39 boats that are being built for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) under a deal with CMN was revealed when a launch ceremony was held at the French company’s Cherbourg yard on 24 July.
A Saudi HSI32 fast patrol boat is seen in a shiplift at Cherbourg. (Saudi Ministry of Defence)
The deal was announced in April 2018, when it was stated that half the 39 boats would be built by the Zamil Shipyard in Dammam on Saudi Arabia’s Gulf coast as part of the kingdom’s plan to indigenise 50% of its defence procurement by 2030. The type of boats that would be built and the value of the contract were not revealed.
The Saudi Ministry of Defence announced the launch of the first two in a statement that included photographs showing an HSI32 fast patrol boat with the pennant 315 being lowered into the water at Cherbourg. Other photographs of the event showed the second boat, 316, is also an HSI32.
The type is 32.2 m in length, 7 m wide, and has a draught of 1.8 m, according to CMN. It has a 12-person crew, can launch and recover a rigid-hulled inflatable boat on a rear ramp, is capable of 48 kt, and has a range of 1,200 n miles at a speed of 12 kt.
The Saudi vessels are armed with a Nexter 20 mm Narwhal remotely operated weapon station and a mast-mounted electro-optical system.
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