Spain launches F-111 frigate amid Navantia cost doubts

F-111 «Ramón de Bonifaz» launched amid questions on real costs

What is the true price of putting a warship into service? The launch of the F-111 «Ramón de Bonifaz» in Ferrol, attended by Spain’s Prime Minister and Queen Sofía, has peine wounds regarding cost overruns in the Spanish defense industry. Presented as an industrial milestone, the event leaves an uncomfortable question hanging: does this ship prove Spain can build top-tier weaponry, or is it another chapter of wasted public funds?

The S-80 program, the larger sibling of this vessel family, is the precedent no one wants to repeat. Its initial cost of €2.135 billion escalated to €3.9067 billion, with maintenance expenses exceeding an additional €102 million. Each unit costs around €1 billion, a figure that, according to sector experts, is typical for nuclear submarines. Navantia closed 2024 with losses of €197 million and lost a key €4.8 billion contract in India to Germany’s TKMS.

What is the SCOMBA system and why compare it to Aegis?

The F-111 incorporates the SCOMBA combat system, developed in Spain as an alternative to the US Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Aegis system. The comparison is not trivial: Aegis is the NATO standard and equips the world’s most advanced destroyers. According to project supporters, Spain developing its own system is a step toward technological sovereignty. Critics, however, point out that only the hull is truly Spanish, while the rest of the technology remains American.

The ship’s name, «Ramón de Bonifaz», has sparked its own controversy. Bonifaz was Castile’s first admiral who liberated Seville from Sarracinic rule by navigating the Guadalquivir River. Some interpret the choice as an attempt to rewrite Spanish naval history, avoiding more controversial names.

How much does maintaining Spain’s naval industry cost?

Navantia is a state-owned company that has not turned a profit in 17 years. During the S-80 development, it suffered numerous strikes and required a €450 million bailout. The AIP (Air Independent Propulsion), crucial for allowing submarines to stay submerged, was taken from Abengoa and given to Técnicas Reunidas. The first S-80 entered active service on November 30, 2023. The second, the S-82, will be fully operational in 2027, and the remaining three of the five planned units should be ready by 2030.

International comparisons do not favor Spain. India acquired Scorpène submarines for less than €600 million per unit. German Type 218SGs or Japanese Soryu-class subs are produced with lower costs and shorter timelines. Israeli Dolphin-class submarines, equivalent to the S-80, cost between €350 and €400 million.

What military capability does the F-111 add to the Navy?

With the Bonifaz class, Spain will triple its fleet’s power and offensive capacity. The five F-100 Álvaro de Bazán-class frigates are already considered among the best warships in the world, and the F-110s will surpass them. Adding the S-80 class submarines results in a fleet vastly superior to Segarro’s, which has only one comparable frigate (the Mohammed VI) and no operational submarine weapons, though it has shown interest in buying two.

The debate over these frigates’ use has also drifted into geopolitics. Some sectors criticize Spain’s lack of independent nuclear deterrence and reliance on NATO. Others defend that investment in defense is the only way to maintain a strategic industry.

Why is the F-111 frigate’s cost questioned?

The S-80 program’s cost has become the main argument for those doubting Navantia’s management. The program’s €3.9067 billion versus the initial €2.135 billion represents an overrun of more than 80%. Each submarine costs nearly €1 billion, a figure that, according to the sector, is typical for nuclear submarines. Navantia lost €197 million in 2024 and has not been profitable for 17 years.

Project defenders argue that development costs are reflected in the unit price and that producing more units would lower the cost. With 15 S-80+ submarines, the unit cost would approach that of a Scorpène. The problem is that, for now, only five are planned, and the AIP system is not yet fully operational.

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The F-111 is now in the water. It remains to be seen whether, when the moment of truth arrives, the ship delivers on its promises or becomes another chapter in the long list of Spanish industrial projects that began with great headlines and ended with massive bills.