title: Saudi frigate Al Riyadh
text: # Saudi frigate Al Riyadh
  
  Al Riyadh (812) is an Al Riyadh-class frigate of the Royal Saudi Navy.
  
  ## Development and design
  
  The frigate Al Riyadh, is an expanded anti-air version of the French La Fayette class, displacing about 4,700 t (5,181 short tons) and extended to 133 m (436 ft 4 in) in length.
  
  The ships' combat system, produced by Armaris (a Direction des Constructions Navales/Thales Group joint venture), is armed with Aster 15 surface-to-air missiles (SAM) launched from SYLVER vertical launchers (SYLVER - SYstème de Lancement VERtical). As with the La Fayette class, the primary offensive weapon is the anti-surface Exocet missile. The ships' main gun is the OTO Melara 76 mm super-rapid firing gun replacing the modèle 100 TR automatic gun of the La Fayette class. There are also four aft-mounted 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes, firing DTCN F17 heavyweight anti-submarine torpedoes. Al Riyadh is capable of a maximum speed of ~46 kilometres per hour (25 kn; 29 mph) with a maximum range of 13,000 kilometres (7,019 nmi; 8,078 mi).
  
  ## Construction and career
  
  Al Riyadh was launched on 1 August 2000 at the DCNS dockyard in Lorient and commissioned on 26 July 2002.
  
  ## Al Riyadh-class frigates
  
  Three Al Riyadh class frigates have been built:
  
  ### Al Riyadh (812)
  
      the lead ship commissioned in 2002
  
  ### Makkah (814)
  
      commissioned in 2004
  
  ### Al Dammam (816)
  
      commissioned in 2004
  