Approval of the program appears in the Official Gazette, which includes details of the investment 3.2 billion It aims to extend the operational life of the five F-100 frigates until 2045. The project, one of the Navy’s largest alongside the F-110 and S-80, involves Navantia through 120 months of continuous operation.
These frigates – Álvaro de Bazán, Almirante Juan de Borbón, Blas de Liso, Méndez Nunez and Cristobal Colón – are entering the middle of their life cycle with obsolete mission systems. The Navy, in an internal analysis compiled in official documents, warns of Reliability failure, increased breakdowns and difficulty obtaining spare partsThis situation affects the combat system, electronic warfare, radars and part of the anti-submarine warfare suite.
What really changed in the F-100’s mid-life refresh?
The key: upgrading the AEGIS and adapting the ship to stealth and hypersonic threats
| Parameter | He deserves |
|---|---|
| Program cost | 3.2 billion euros |
| Execution time | 120 months |
| NSM integration | First missiles in 2027 (305 million euros) |
Sources in the US Congress quoted Congressional Research Service (CRS, 2024) estimates that previous generation AEGIS systems require extensive modernization to manage targets with low signatures and complex trajectories. The Spanish update responds exactly to that recommendation: more tracking capability, modular integration and compatibility with the F-110 standard.
Sensors, Electronic Warfare, and Cyber Defense: The Invisible Leap
- The electronic warfare suite will include **Rigel i110** and **Regulus** equipment, with expanded detection, analysis and classification capability in coastal and oceanic environments.
- Protection against asymmetric threats will be included through updated RWS Sentinel stations and EO/IR sensors.
- The sonar beam and ASW beam will be migrated to improved software similar to that used on the S-80 aircraft.
The Pentagon, in its official 2023 report on emerging threats, warns that electronic warfare will be the “first saturation vector” in modern maritime conflict. Thus the Navy is adapting the F-100 to a doctrine in which the electromagnetic spectrum is as critical as missile launch.
Integration of unmanned vehicles and precision weapons: the shift toward 2045
The upgrade will allow drones, UUVs and USVs to be operated from each frigate through a network management system. NATO identifies this capability as a priority from 2022 for advanced surveillance and distributed anti-submarine warfare missions. F-100s will be able to deploy these platforms while maintaining control of the tactical landscape in real time.
Weapons are also developing: anti-ship missile NSM Block 1A It will replace the Harpoon, providing passive navigation, low detectability and ultra-low altitude flight capability. Integration of 127 mm guided ammunition for the main gun is also being considered, which would turn the series into a precision surface carrier.
What does all this mean for Spanish naval strategy?
NATO doctrinal sources cited by the Planning Department state in 2024 that allied navies will have to maintain “the basics of modern AEGIS platforms” to ensure regional air defence. By enhancing commonality with the F-110 and keeping the F-100 in service until 2045, Spain ensures a range of five escorts that are fully interoperable with Alliance environment standards.
The frigate Alvaro de Bazán – the first in the series, delivered in 2002 – will also be the first to undergo this process. The end result will be a redesigned class to operate in multi-domain scenarios, sustain high-intensity NATO operations and respond to increasing asymmetric threats. combination of Modern AEGIS and NSM systems, electronic warfare management and advanced drones It gives the Spanish Navy capabilities that, according to a SIPRI analysis (2024), are held by only a small number of Western navies.