Lockheed Martin and Navantia strengthen ties with expanded collaboration

The American company Lockheed Martin is extending and expanding its cooperation with the Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia on the SCOMBA combat management system, a variant of the Aegis Combat System.

On Friday, 15 March, Lockheed Martin announced that it is extending its 27-year cooperation with the Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia for another three years and expanding it, especially in the SCOMBA (Sistema de Combate de los Buques de la Armada) combat management system, a variant of the Aegis Combat System.

The agreement was signed by Lockheed Martin's Chauncey McIntosh and Joe DePietro and Navantia's Donato Martínez and José Manuela Mondéjar and will allow the companies to continue their joint exploration of commercial opportunities in the field of surface ships and submarines.

Thanks to the cooperation between the two entities, the Spanish Navy (Armada Española) has equipped its Álvaro de Bazán-class F100 frigates with the proven Aegis Combat System in its local SCOMBA variant. The Lockheed Martin partnership with Navantia has led to the successful integration of the system with surface ships not only of the Spanish Navy but also of the Norwegian Navy (Sjøforsvaret) with Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with Hobart-class destroyers over the past twenty years. Both companies are also cooperating on the integration of the combat management and sonar systems for the Spanish Navy's S-80 Plus submarines.

Lockheed Martin values its long-standing role as a strategic partner to Spain's Ministry of Defence and defence industry. "Our collaboration on projects such as the F100 frigate and the F110 multi-mission frigate is a testament to our commitment to providing Spain with the capabilities necessary to carry out its missions. Extending our long-term relationship with Navantia helps to maintain valuable jobs in Spain for further collaboration between our two companies," said Chauncey McIntosh, Vice President of Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors at Lockheed Martin.

"Our focus on supporting not only the needs of the Spanish Navy but also our allies worldwide is fundamental to our relationship with Navantia. Over nearly three decades, we have expanded our cooperation to develop key capabilities and solutions for missions ranging from undersea warfare to integrated air and missile defence. We look forward to leveraging our success to equip navies with advanced technological solutions," said Joe DePietro, Vice President of C6ISR at Lockheed Martin.

"We are honoured to have the opportunity to renew and expand this long-standing cooperation with Lockheed Martin, which has enabled us to offer the most advanced defence technologies and solutions to the Spanish Navy as well as our international customers. Our cooperation has been and continues to be critical to bringing our joint products to the forefront of technology. Extending this cooperation shows our commitment to designing, building, and delivering the best solutions to our customers in both surface ships and submarines," said Donato Martínez, Vice President and Director of Technology and Systems at Navantia.

Five Álvaro de Bazán-class F110 frigates will soon join the Spanish Navy's line of combatants. With the first two ships already in the construction phase (future: Bonifaz (F111) and Roger de Lauria (F112)), Lockheed Martin and Navantia have significant milestones ahead, including radar AN/SPY-7(v)2 real target tracking tests at Lockheed Martin's Aegis-SCOMBA Integration Centre in Moorestown, New Jersey. The integration of tactical software programs of the Aegis Combat System and SCOMBA will also take place at the land-based test range ASIC and Navantia in San Fernando, Spain. Both milestones will further confirm that the F110 program is on track for the first frigate to be commissioned in 2028.

The current agreement focuses on capabilities related to naval ships and maritime combat systems. Progress on the construction of the F110 frigates and the S-80 Plus submarines for the Spanish Navy takes this cooperation to a new level.

Lockheed Martin partnerships in Spain and around the world result in millions of dollars in investments in Lockheed Martin's global supply chain, creating local security and strengthening economies, industries, and communities.