U.S. shipyard launches first MMSC frigate HMS Saud for Saudi Arabia in Wisconsin.

Saudi Arabia’s first Multi-Mission Surface Combatant frigate, HMS King Saud, was launched at a U.S. shipyard in Wisconsin in December 2025.

On December 16, 2025, the Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin moved the HMS Saud (820), the first of the four Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) frigates ordered by Saudi Arabia, from the construction hall to the ship lift, a new step toward final outfitting and trials. Also known as the Jalalat Al-Malik Saud (His Majesty King Saud), the newly launched ship is part of a four-ship class built as part of Saudi Arabia’s Tuwaiq Project, with Lockheed Martin as prime contractor for combat systems and overall integration.
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The HMS Saud (820) measures around 118 meters in length, sometimes specified as 118.6 meters, with a beam of 17.6 meters, a draft of 4.3 meters, and a maximum displacement of about 3,600 tonnes. (Picture source: Saudi MoD)

The Wisconsin ceremony brought together the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Ghraibi, senior Saudi and U.S. officials, and representatives from the companies involved in the program. Saudi officials tied this event to a broader modernization effort that pairs the four ships with structured crew training, qualification programs, and preparations ashore to ensure the vessels can operate regularly once delivered. The Tuwaiq Project runs from the U.S. approval for an MMSC sale in October 2015 for an estimated overall value of $11.25 billion, while the formal agreement framework was established in May 2017, with the signing of a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA).

This was followed by several major contract awards, including $481 million in March 2018, $450 million in July 2018 for detailed design and planning, and another $282 million in November 2018. On December 20, 2019, a contract modification valued at $1,955,776,266 was issued to cover the detailed design and construction of all four ships, with work spread across Marinette and numerous other U.S. locations and a planned completion date in June 2026. Steel cutting for the first ship took place in October 2019, followed by the keel laying of the HMS Saud in May 2021, which preceded the keel laying for the second ship, the HMS Fahd (pennant number 822), on October 13, 2022. At that stage, fabrication work for the third and fourth ships was already underway.

In 2025, the MMSC-1 was taken out of the construction shed around October 27, 2025. Beyond the ships themselves, Saudi officials emphasize that the Tuwaiq Project also includes shore infrastructure and sustainment measures intended to ensure long-term availability. Planned upgrades at King Abdulaziz Naval Base in Jubail include modern maintenance and training facilities to support the ship's readiness and reduce reliance on overseas support. In parallel, Saudi authorities link the MMSC program to Vision 2030 objectives through GAMI and GADD, highlighting industrial localization and sustainment capacity as integral parts of the Kingdom's effort to introduce and sustain a new class of surface combatants.

The Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) is based on the U.S. Navy’s Freedom-class littoral combat ship but differs significantly in role and configuration. Instead of relying on interchangeable mission modules, the Saudi version of the LCS is fitted with permanent combat systems and weapons, making it a fully equipped surface combatant. The ship measures around 118 meters in length, sometimes specified as 118.6 meters, with a beam of 17.6 meters, a draft of 4.3 meters, and a maximum displacement of about 3,600 tonnes. Propulsion follows a combined diesel and gas arrangement, allowing speeds of around 30 knots and a range of 5,000 nautical miles, equivalent to about 9,260 kilometers, enabling extended operations beyond Saudi Arabia's coastal waters. The standard crew is cited as 101 personnel, broken out as 84 core crew plus 17 for the helicopter detachment, with space available for 29 additional embarked personnel when required.

For this class of ship, helicopters and drones will be used to extend what the vessel could see, track, and engage. Therefore, the HMS King Saud includes a flight deck and hangar sized for an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, deployed for anti-submarine warfare through dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and torpedoes, for surface surveillance with radar and electro-optical sensors, and for utility missions such as transport, medical evacuation, and vertical replenishment. Because the MH-60R can search large sea areas much faster than the ship, it allows the combat system to detect and classify contacts at long range and cue the ship’s weapons or other assets if needed. Shipborne drones, typically vertical takeoff and landing systems, are also going to be used to monitor surface traffic, identify contacts of interest, and help commanders build a clearer picture of the surrounding environment without committing a helicopter for every task.

The combat system of the HMS Saud is built around Lockheed Martin’s COMBATSS-21 combat management system, derived from the Aegis system and connected through Link 16 communications to coordinate sensors, track management, and weapon control. Sensors include the Hensoldt TRS-4D active electronically scanned array radar, two Saab CEROS 200 fire control directors, identification systems, electronic support measures such as the WBR-2000, and anti-submarine systems such as a variable depth sonar, with Captas VDS also referenced. Weapons listed for the class include Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles and a Mk 41 vertical launch system intended to support Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, with multiple descriptions referring to two 8-cell Mk 41 VLS per ship. A broader weapon fit cited includes an 11-round Mk 15 Mod 31 SeaRAM, a BAE Systems 57 mm gun, two Nexter Narwhal 20 mm remote weapon stations, and Mk 32 torpedo launchers, plus decoy and torpedo-defense systems such as ALEX SKWS and AN-SLQ-25. Moreover, an equipment line associated with the program cites 532 tactical RIM-162 ESSM rounds across installed, test and training, and spares.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.