Navantia Australia secures landmark RAN Designer Support Contract

Navantia Australia has been awarded the Designer Support Contract (DSC) to provide comprehensive design and engineering support to all Navantia-designed ships in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the shipyard announced on 18 March 2025.

The deal marks a significant milestone for Navantia Australia as it is the company’s first contract held directly with the Commonwealth of Australian (CoA) and the largest single contract the company has signed in its 13 years of operation.

The DSC, which covers the RAN’s Hobart-class destroyers (DDGs), Canberra-class landing helicopter docks (LHDs), LHD landing craft (LLCs) and Supply-class auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels (AORs) followed a request for tender and extensive negotiation process with the Australian Department of Defence (DoD).

Appointing Navantia Australia as the single DSC entity for the incorporated assets provides the Australian government with the opportunity to implement cross-platform efficiencies, including in supply chain support and the enabling of sovereign innovation opportunities.

The DSC framework and term also provides Navantia Australia with the opportunity to continue to invest in building sovereign engineering capabilities by expanding training pathways and fostering collaborations with academia and industry to equip Australia’s future maritime and defence workforce.

A signing ceremony for the contract was held on 18 March at Fleet Headquarters in Sydney attended by Commander Australian Fleet Rear Admiral Chris Smith; the RAN’s head of maritime sustainment, Rear Admiral Steve Tiffen; the RAN’s director general for major surface ships, Commodore Brad Smith; Navantia Australia’s managing director, Israel Lozano; the company’s chief operations officer, Jamie Gibbs; and Navantia’s DSC programme director, Julio Pinilla. Navantia’s chairman, Ricardo Dominguez Garcia-Baquero, Navantia Spain’s chief operations officer, Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero, and Navantia’s chairman advisor and chief of staff, Vice Admiral (Ret’d) Javier Romero, also attended the ceremony.

Lozano said the DSC builds upon the Strategic Agreement Principles document signed between the RAN, the Australian DoD’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG), Navantia and Navantia Australia, which designated Navantia Australia as the platform design agent for all Navantia-designed vessels.

“The DSC provides end-to-end change management and engineering services to the assets incorporated in the contract, providing Navantia Australia the platform to partner with the CoA and explore greater, innovative solutions for sustainment and asset management,” said Lozano. “The DSC scope amalgamates Navantia Australia’s extant support services contracts for the Royal Australian Navy’s DDGs, LHDs, LLCs and AORs, as well as the Platform System Designer Deed into the one contractual arrangement.

Mateo-Guererro added that the DSC “will be a vital component to the success of the new maritime sustainment model as Navantia Australia’s deep product knowledge and baseline management will facilitate design integrity throughout sustainment and continuous improvement activities. This, combined with the capability to collaborate and effectively communicate within the enterprise environment, will contribute to ensure the navy’s fleet is assured of seaworthiness, availability of assets, and reduced cost through life.”