
The Spanish corporation Navantia has signed with GMV in a contract for development and supply of the SENDA navigation system for the future F-110 frigates. This contract validates the trust already placed in GMV by the Spanish MoD from their earlier development of a system prototype within the F-110 definition phase.
The future F-110 frigates, which will replace the current Santa María class frigates in 2026, sets a new standard in platform systems and their combat system, incorporating Industry 4.0 technologies into their design to improve lifecycle-long system management. The SENDA navigation system is GMVs’ advanced naval navigation and timing solution. It provides positioning, speed, attitude, and timing data in various formats, offering an all-in timing and navigation system.
The various F-110 systems call for a continuous, precise, and trustworthy positioning, speed, and attitude source. With this purpose in mind, SENDA incorporates multi-constellation (GPS, Galileo) satellite navigation technology compatible with both civil and military signals, plus DGNSS corrections. SENDA’s hybrid satellite navigation data (GNSS) with data received from external sensors, such as inertial navigation systems (INS), pitometer logs, etc., and includes state-of-the-art algorithms to provide robust navigation in contested GNSS scenarios.
SENDA also includes a timing server that generates highly precise and stable timing signals, allowing the ship’s systems to synchronize with GPS time. SENDA guarantees timing reference stability and negligible drift, even during prolonged periods of GPS downtime.
SENDA is a totally redundant system with two complete functional subsystems working in active-active configuration, together with redundant GNSS signal distribution. Both systems, monitored in real time, exchange information to provide the overall system with the best possible solution.
The complete SENDA system, in conjunction with GMV’s range of defense products, makes GMV a national navigation-system benchmark, with experience in the aeronautics, land and naval sectors in platforms such as the unmanned aircraft ATLANTE, the 8×8 Dragon vehicle and now the F-110 frigates.