Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launched the third Doha-class (or Al Zubarah-class) corvette for the Qatar Emiri Navy at its Muggiano, La Spezia, shipyard.
Al Khor was launched on September 30 and is scheduled for delivery in 2022.
The ceremony was attended by Staff Brigadier General Abdulla Ali Al-Mazroey, Deputy Commander of Qatar Emiri Navy and Commander of Qatar Emiri Navy Flotilla, Italian Navy Admiral Giorgio Lazio, Maritime Commander North, and Marco Acca, deputy director general of Fincantieri’s military vessel division.
Fincantieri is building the four corvettes, as well as a landing platform dock and two offshore patrol vessels, under a 4 billion euro contract signed in 2016.
The shipbuilder is expected to deliver all four ships in the class by 2023. The corvettes are about 107 meters long, 14.70 meters wide, and equipped with a combined diesel and diesel plant (CODAD), with a maximum speed of 28 knots. With a crew of 112, they will be used for surveillance, sea rescue and surface combat.
Leonardo-Finmeccanica will deliver main radars and on-board sensors and defense sub-systems, including 76/62 medium caliber and 30mm small caliber weapon systems, an anti-torpedo protection system and the Thesan mine avoidance sonar which is installed at the bow of the surface units.
MBDA will be responsible for delivering missile systems for the ships, which, according to the vertical launch cells seen on an illustration of the Al Zubarah shared by Fincantieri, could include Exocet missiles. MBDA is also delivering coastal defense systems to Qatar under a separate contract.
Al Zubarah, the first ship in the class, is scheduled for delivery this year.
