The high-profile Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) program destined for the Royal Saudi Navy has encountered yet another major roadblock. According to a newly disclosed contract issued by the U.S. Department of Defense, all four warships under construction are facing mandatory design modifications and engineering overhauls. The additional work stems from newly identified technical discrepancies and critical deficiencies found in trial cards used to document shipboard issues, further stretching an acquisition timeline that has already lagged several years behind schedule.
The corrective engineering efforts and structural updates will directly impact all four hulls, including the lead ship HMS Saud (820), which was launched at Fincantieri Marine Group’s shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. Alongside resolving newly uncovered technical inconsistencies, the multi-year remediation contract aims to complete previously approved engineering changes that were left unfinished prior to the initial vessel rollouts and launch ceremonies.
The troubled program has suffered from continuous setbacks since its inception, driven by a combination of early pandemic disruptions, skilled workforce shortages, teething design hurdles inherited from the U.S. Navy’s Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship architecture, and numerous custom design modifications requested by Riyadh. Consequently, initial delivery targets have slipped significantly, and current program estimates project that final system integration, post-shakedown availabilities, and industrial maintenance windows will extend out to 2031, pushing the total shipbuilding and outfitting span to well over a decade.
The MMSC platform—procured under Saudi Arabia's strategic Tuwaiq Project—represents a formidable evolution of the base Freedom-class hull, displacing approximately 4,000 tons and outfitted with advanced combat systems. Key enhancements include MBDA’s Sea Ceptor system utilizing 32 Common Anti-air Modular Missiles (CAMM) packed into Mk-41 vertical launch cells, Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles, KNDS Narwhal 20mm remote weapons stations, Saab's Ceros 200 fire control radar, and Indra’s Rigel electronic support measures.
The remediation work will be primarily distributed across specialized U.S. facilities, including locations in Moorestown, New Jersey, and operational hubs near Naval Station Mayport in Florida. While the MMSC program is ultimately intended to drastically elevate the operational capabilities and tactical reach of the Royal Saudi Navy, these latest design fixes underscore the complex industrial and engineering hurdles inherent in tailoring first-of-their-kind foreign military sales surface combatants.
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