The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inaugurated here today the ship of His Majesty's "Al-Diriyah", announcing its official entry into service in the RSNF. The combat ship is the second for RSNF in four months after the inauguration of the first ship His Majesty's "Jubail," and one of five combat ships within the Sarawat project. During the inauguration ceremony, which was held in San Fernando, Spain, in the presence of Saudi and Spanish officials, the Commander of the RSNF Lieutenant-General Fahd Al-Ghufaili, hoisted the flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the ship of His Majesty's "Al-Diriyah". Al-Ghufaili expressed his happiness at the inauguration of the ship within the Sarawat project, noting that the Sarawat project will contribute to raising the level of readiness of the RSNF, enhancing maritime security in the region, and protecting vital strategic interests of Saudi Arabia, in addition to the efforts to localize technically advanced military industries, noting the unlimited support enjoyed by the armed forces in general and the RSNF, in particular, from the wise leadership. For his part, the CEO of the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), Eng. Walid bin Abdul Majeed Abu Khaled, said that the start of operation of the His Majesty's "Diriyah" Ship is a milestone in the journey of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to create a more sustainable national defense system, indicating that the five ships of the RSNF within the Sarawat project will be equipped with the first Saudi naval combat management system, under the name "Hazm". It will contribute to the localization of military industries by transferring technology, indicating that cooperation with the Spanish company Navantia and many other international OEMs provided an opportunity to develop distinguished Saudi cadres and pave the way for projects of the same scope.
