BAM-class (Meteoro)

Summary

Description

The Spanish Navy has incorporated a series of modular offshore patrol vessels known as the Meteoro-class, or Buque de Acción Marítima (BAM), designed and manufactured by Navantia. These vessels are lauded for their multipurpose capabilities, high performance, and cost efficiency both in acquisition and throughout their lifecycle.

The BAM's are designed with a high degree of modularity which allows them to be adapted for a wide range of missions including protection and escort duties in asymmetric warfare, maritime traffic control, counter-terrorism, counter-piracy, drug and human trafficking interdiction, search and rescue operations, support in crisis situations and humanitarian aid, fishery law enforcement, environmental protection, and anti-pollution tasks. The design also supports modifications for secondary missions such as hydrographic research, intelligence gathering, diving support, and salvage operations.

The BAM project is structured in multiple phases, with the first phase including the construction of six patrol boats completed in January 2019, over a span of twelve years. The second phase also comprises six units, of which four are patrol boats, with the remaining two specialized for oceanographic research and underwater rescue. A notable characteristic of the oceanographic BAM includes facilities for scientific research alongside accommodations for carrying scientists and equipment like flight decks for helicopters, laboratories, and electronic equipment rooms. The named Underwater Rescue BAM, Poseidon (BAM-IS), which construction began in July 2023 and is planned for delivery in 2026, will focus on submarine rescue and support, diving operations, and heritage surveillance, with an estimated cost of 166 million Euros.

Two additional BAM vessels were authorized in 2023 for acquisition at 550 million Euros. These are expected to replace retiring vessels and to enhance the fleet's capability, particularly in anti-submarine warfare, slated for service in the mid to late 2020s.

The operational history of BAM vessels initiated with the first vessel, Meteoro (P-41), with construction beginning in October 2007 and commissioning onto the stands in March 2009. Although initially budgeted at €352m, the final cost of four units surged to €488.4m. A subsequent batch of vessels was confirmed to replace older patrol boats, with four additional units planned for delivery by 2015. However, contract signing and service entry were delayed until the mid-2020s. As of April 2023, the Spanish Navy confirmed the Poseidon's naming and granted approval for the construction of two new BAM maritime patrol vessels with a budget of 550 million Euros.

Technical specifications