First Saudi combat vessel build begins
Fincantieri Marinette Marine has commenced construction of the Royal Saudi Navy’s first Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) ship.
Being delivered by Lockheed Martin as prime contractor, the four MMSCs were ordered in 2017 under a foreign military sales (FMS) agreement.
The FMS package request also included equipment to arm the vessels, including combat management systems with five TRS-4D radars. Also included were eight MK-41 Vertical Launch Systems and 532 tactical RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles.
Saudi Arabia also requested five AN/SWG-l (V) Harpoon ship command launch control systems; eight Harpoon Shipboard Launchers; 48 RGM-84 Harpoon Block II Missiles; five MK-15 Mod 31 SeaRAM Close-In Weapon Systems; 188 RIM 116C Block II Rolling Airframe Missiles; five MK-75 76mm OTO Melara gun systems; and 48 50-calibre machine guns.
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