MADRID — Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) concluded in San Fernando, Spain, Saturday, the training program for the crew of His Majesty's Ship "Al-Jubail”, the first combat ship of the “Sarawat” project, which includes the manufacture and construction of five naval vessels with advanced capabilities to deal with various combat missions with high efficiency.

The training program comprised three main phases; the first phase started in the United Kingdom and lasted 46 weeks; to learn the English language, before moving to Spain.

The second phase, hosted by Spain, saw foundational and advanced courses being offered by the Spanish Navy and the University of Cádiz in addition to courses in operation, maintenance and adaptation to the ship with the Spanish Navy and Navantia, the manufacture of Sarawat Ships project.

The last phase focused on the practical exercises at sea for the crew of "Al-Jubail". The conclusion of the training program, which was held in the presence of RSNF Commander Lt. Gen. Fahd Bin Abdullah Al-Ghufaili, culminated in the implementation of His Majesty’s Ship "Al-Jubail" in the Spanish Naval Operations area in the Gulf of Cadiz, shooting exercise with missiles type (MICA) of the third version (Block 3), which is used to counter air attacks, and identify targets in a self-guided (Fire and forget) manner.

RSNF Commander expressed his pride in the crew of His Majesty’s Ship “Al-Jubail", for their efficiency and competence in the stages of theoretical and practical training and qualification, as well as their high ability to fully operate the ship's advanced systems, which culminated in the successful launch of the (MICA) missile and the direct hit and destruction of its target.

Gen. Al-Ghufaili indicated that the ship's crew had completed all training stages and that the ship was in the process of being prepared to sail to Saudi Arabia to be the first ship to join the naval fleet from the "Sarawat" project, which contributes to raising the level of readiness of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and enhancing maritime security in the region and protect the Kingdom’s vital and strategic interests.

The ship Al-Jubail (Corvette Avanti 2200) is the first ship of the Sarawat project, which was launched four months ago, and is the latest of its type in the world, with capabilities of handling the air, surface, or subsurface targets.

"Sarawat" project is part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 programs; to localize 50% of the military industries. — SPA