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Spain develops F110 IAMD frigate with 64 missile cells to expand naval air and ballistic missile defense.
The Spanish Navy and Navantia confirmed the development of the F110 Flight II Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) frigate concept, an expanded variant featuring 64 vertical launch system (VLS) cells. Proposed under Spain's Armada 2050 modernization strategy, the enlarged 6,700-tonne design extends the five baseline Bonifaz-class ships to counter high-density aircraft, cruise missile, and ballistic missile threats. The upgrade integrates an expanded 100-subarray AN/SPY-7(V)2 AESA radar and the SCOMBA New Generation combat system to enable coordinated air defense across NATO naval task groups.
The F110 Flight II/IAMD frigate would represent a new variant of the Bonifaz-class, but designed with 64 Mk 41 vertical-launch missile cells, four times the capacity of the original F110. (Picture source: Spanish Navy)
On October 23, 2026, the Spanish Navy and Navantia confirmed the development of the F110 Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD), an enlarged Bonifaz-class frigate intended to protect naval formations against aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missile threats. Also known as Flight II, the proposed design would carry 64 Mk 41 vertical-launch cells, compared with 16 cells on the five F110 frigates currently under construction, while increasing the displacement from 6,100 to 6,700 tonnes, the length from 145 to 150 m and the crew from 150 to 170. Its expanded AN/SPY-7 radar and Scomba New Generation combat system would support longer-range surveillance, simultaneous engagements and coordinated air defense across NATO naval formations.
Under Spain's Armada 2050 modernization programme, the project could result in two additional frigates, potentially F116 and F117, which would complement the five vessels contracted in 2019, although neither construction nor missile procurement has been approved. Spain authorized the procurement of five F110 frigates on March 29, 2019, and awarded Navantia a €4.317 billion contract in April, equivalent to €863.4 million per vessel on a programme-average basis. Built at Ferrol, Galicia, to replace the six Santa María-class frigates commissioned between 1986 and 1994, the F110 forms part of a broader division of responsibilities within the Spanish surface fleet: this class concentrates on anti-submarine warfare, while the five Álvaro de Bazán-class, commissioned between 2002 and 2012, provide the principal area air defense capability through their Aegis combat systems and 48 Mk 41 cells each.
The first F110, the Bonifaz (F111), began construction on April 6, 2022, was launched on September 11, 2025, and is scheduled for commissioning in 2028. The Roger de Lauria (F112), launched on October 27, 2026, is expected in 2029, followed by the Menéndez de Avilés (F113) in 2030, the Luis de Córdova (F114) in 2031, and the Barceló (F115) in 2032. The initial five frigates would therefore replace an aging ship class with larger vessels equipped with modern acoustic sensors, helicopter facilities, and digital combat systems, while the proposed Flight II/IAMD upgrade would address new operational capabilities. The Flight II concept would add 600 tonnes of displacement, or 9.8%, while increasing hull length by 3.4% and complement by 13.3%. Its proposed Mk 41 installation combines six eight-cell strike-length modules, totaling 48 cells, with two eight-cell tactical-length modules providing another 16.
F110 Flight II Missile Armament and 64 Cell Vertical Launch System
Strike-length installations accept canisters up to 7.7 m long, compared with 6.7 m for tactical-length cells, allowing greater flexibility for larger compatible interceptors. The 64-cell arrangement also exceeds the F100's capacity by 33.3%, but actual missile inventory depends on the loadout. For example, 16 cells loaded with SM-2s and 48 cells containing four ESSM Block 2s each would accommodate 16 SM-2s and 192 ESSMs, while a balanced 32-cell allocation to each missile type would provide 32 SM-2s and 128 ESSMs. These configurations are illustrative, not approved ammunition loads, and the additional launchers would require structural reinforcement, exhaust management, electrical connections, and revised internal arrangements. The original F110's missile inventory combines SM-2MR Block IIIA area air defense missiles, RIM-162 ESSM Block 2 interceptors, and eight Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs) in two quadruple launchers.
The SM-2MR Block IIIA has a range exceeding 150 km and uses semi-active radar guidance, while the ESSM Block 2 combines active and semi-active guidance against aircraft and sea-skimming missiles. For its part, the NSM has a range exceeding 185 km, a 125 kg warhead and passive imaging-infrared terminal guidance. Naval artillery consists of a Leonardo 127/64 LW gun supporting conventional and guided Vulcano ammunition, supplemented by two Escribano Sentinel 30 stations with 30 mm Mk 44 cannons and four 12.7 mm remote weapons. Anti-submarine armament includes two twin Mk 32 launchers for 324 mm Mk 54 torpedoes, while six Mk 36 SRBOC launchers and AN/SLQ-25E Nixie provide missile and torpedo countermeasures.
The Flight II would retain these weapons while introducing provisions for directed-energy weapons, a dedicated counter-drone equipment, and loitering munition launchers, reducing reliance on expensive surface-to-air missiles against smaller threats, although their final installation have not been established. The Flight II radar installation would also increase the AN/SPY-7(V)2 S-band AESA's sub-array suites from 68 to 100 per radar face, a 47.1% increase intended to improve simultaneous target detection, tracking, and discrimination. Its Aegis International Fire Control Loop would connect the AN/SPY-7 with the Scomba New Generation, while a cooperative engagement capability would support the exchange of engagement-quality tracks with compatible allied ships. Two AN/SPG-62 radars and the Mk 99 fire-control system would additionally provide terminal illumination for compatible semi-active missiles.
F110 IAMD Radar Sensors and Integrated Air Defense Capabilities
Additional sensors include Indra's Prisma 25X X-band radar, the Rigel i110 electronic support and countermeasures, Regulus i110 communications surveillance, and IRST i110 infrared detection. The underwater suite would retain the hull-mounted and variable-depth sonar, underwater communications and acoustic processing, although the Flight II/IAMD configuration may replace the original Thales CAPTAS-4 Compact installation. The Scomba NG would also integrate unmanned vehicles through Navantia's NAIAD architecture. Ballistic missile interception remains dependent on missile selection and fire-control certification, as both the SM-3, the SM-6, and naval adaptations of the PAC-3 have different engagement characteristics, and compatibility with the proposed frigate has not been established.
The original F110's CODLAG propulsion combines a 22 MW LM2500 gas turbine, two 3.4 MW electric motors and four MTU diesel generators supplying 12 MW of installed electrical generation capacity. Two Kongsberg controllable-pitch propellers and a retractable Brunvoll bow thruster provide propulsion and maneuvering, while diesel-electric operation reduces machinery-related underwater noise during anti-submarine missions. The baseline range is 4,100 nautical miles at 15 knots, equivalent to 273 hours of continuous transit. The Flight II would use more powerful gas turbines to exceed 29 knots, compared with a baseline maximum near 26 knots, while maintaining a cruising speed exceeding 18 knots. Its revised dimensions have also been specified as 149.8 m in length, 18.6 m in beam and 5.2 m in draught, with a later displacement target reaching 7,000 tonnes rather than the earlier 6,700-tonne concept.
Accommodation would include 170 core personnel and 37 additional berths, alongside space for two helicopters, unmanned surface and underwater vehicles, mission modules and rigid-hulled inflatable boats. Digital twin technology and condition-based maintenance would support machinery monitoring and maintenance scheduling, although actual availability gains remain unquantified. The IAMD programme would extend construction and systems-integration work at Navantia's Ferrol shipyard, supported by more than 500 Spanish companies and an original employment projection of 7,000 direct and indirect jobs annually over a decade. Indra's €150 million sensor integration agreement, concluded in July 2020, complements Lockheed Martin's radar and Aegis equipment, Thales acoustic systems, GMV navigation equipment and Rohde & Schwarz communications.
F110 Flight II Construction Schedule and Operational Advantages
Navantia is targeting a nine-month final design phase beginning between December 2026 and January 2027, followed by a potential construction decision in late 2027. Under an optimistic five-year construction and delivery schedule, the first IAMD frigate could enter service in 2032 or 2033, although no contract has been signed. Two additional 64-cell frigates would increase the Bonifaz fleet from five to seven ships and aggregate VLS capacity from 80 to 208 cells, a 160% increase. Combined with the five F100 frigates' 240 cells, Spain would possess 448 Mk 41 launch positions across 12 frigates, excluding ships unavailable through maintenance and differences in missile compatibility. The original €863.4 million programme-average cost per F110, however, cannot establish the price of the larger IAMD variant.
The F110 IAMD's principal operational advantage would be its ability to defend a naval formation through successive missile attacks without exhausting its interceptors as rapidly as an earlier F110 frigate. A hypothetical magazine containing 32 SM-2s and 128 ESSMs would provide 160 ready-to-fire missiles, compared with 40 for an original F110 carrying eight SM-2s and 32 ESSMs. At an illustrative expenditure of two interceptors per target, the larger inventory could support 80 engagements against 20, assuming every missile is suitable and each engagement succeeds. The expanded AN/SPY-7 radar, Scomba NG and CEC would also support coordination with NATO escorts protecting vessels such as the Juan Carlos I amphibious assault ship, Galicia-class amphibious ships and replenishment vessels.
Ballistic missile defense would still require compatible interceptors and certified guidance functions, while routine at-sea replenishment cannot currently restore an expended Mk 41 magazine. With only two IAMD frigates, Spain could maintain one deployed while the other undergoes maintenance or training, but sustaining two independent deployments would be difficult without additional ships. The decisive limitations would therefore be the proportion of cells assigned to longer-range interceptors, the number of simultaneous engagements the combat system can control, the availability of replacement missiles and the time required to reload after sustained operations.
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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, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.