Spain’s Navantia has delivered a new generation of corvettes to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) under a major naval modernization initiative. The Avante 2200 class—a heavily customized derivative of the Avante 1800 platform—was developed and constructed to meet Saudi Arabia's specific operational requirements under the Saudi Naval Expansion Program II (SNEP II).

The program began taking shape in the early 2010s, as Saudi Arabia sought to replace its aging Al Madinah-class frigates and expand its littoral and regional maritime presence. After several years of evaluations, negotiations culminated in April 2018 with the signing of a Letter of Intent, and the €1.8 billion contract was formalized in July 2018. The agreement called for the construction of five advanced corvettes at Navantia’s Cádiz shipyards, along with extensive training, logistics support, and combat system integration via the SAMI-Navantia Naval Industries joint venture, contributing to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 defense industrial goals.