The U.S. Defense Department has announced a $73.9 million contract modification awarded to Lockheed Martin. This agreement covers the procurement, testing, and delivery of Indra Rigel radar electronic countermeasures systems for four Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) ships currently under construction for Saudi Arabia.
Contract Details and Execution
Funded entirely through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) financing for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the contract modifies an existing agreement and is managed by the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair in Bath, Maine.
- Work Locations: Primarily Madrid, Spain, with a smaller share of operations in Moorestown, New Jersey.
- Target Completion: February 2031.
- System Capabilities: The Rigel electronic support measures suite detects and analyzes vessel radar signals to classify threats, significantly enhancing situational awareness and survivability in contested waters.
- Key Partnerships: Indra is partnering with SAMI-AEC, a subsidiary of the Saudi state-owned SAMI conglomerate, building on prior work equipping Saudi Avante 2200-class corvettes.
Vessel Specifications and Armament
The four MMSC vessels are derived from the U.S. Navy’s Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship. Built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin under a 2017 FMS agreement, these ships feature several custom enhancements.
| Category | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Dimensions & Performance | 118 meters (387 feet) length, 30+ knots speed, 5,000 nm range |
| Missile Systems | 8-cell Mk 41 VLS (MBDA Sea Ceptor), Harpoon anti-ship missiles |
| Guns & Defense Systems | BAE Systems Mk 110 57mm gun, Raytheon SeaRAM system |
| Combat & Radar Systems | Lockheed Martin COMBATSS-21, Saab Ceros 200 fire control radar |
Program Status
The first vessel in this class, HMS Saud, was launched at Fincantieri Marinette Marine on December 20, 2025. Recent reports indicate that the MMSC program is currently navigating design fixes and delays affecting all four ships. A revised delivery timeline has not been specified. The integration of the Rigel system and Saab Ceros radar represents significant capability upgrades customized for the Saudi fleet beyond the baseline U.S. Navy design.
Would you like me to condense this further into a brief executive summary, or should we focus on expanding the technical specifications of the combat systems?
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