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Warship

Spain

Navantia

Juan Carlos I

Spanish Navy's flagship strategic projection ship, a landing helicopter dock with a ski-jump flight deck able to operate AV-8B Harriers and F-35Bs alongside a full amphibious well deck. Built by Navantia, its design was scaled up and exported to Australia as the two Canberra-class LHDs.

In service since 2010 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

25,000

9,000

nmi

243

crew

💲 ≈ $500,000,000, Approximate build cost

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

National export licensing

Subject to Spain export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2010. Status: active · ~1 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

$1.3B – $1.8B

Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~35 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the Juan Carlos I can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

AV-8B Harrier II F-35B Lightning II NH90 landing craft mechanized

Full specifications

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	231 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Naval specifications
Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes, the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.	25,000 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.	27,100 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.	21 kn Bottom 3% of warships
Range Cruising range in nautical miles. Nuclear vessels are effectively unlimited (fuel-wise). Higher means more reach without replenishment.	9,000 nmi Stronger than 89% of warships
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.	243
Aircraft carried Embarked aircraft/helicopters. Higher extends the ship’s sensor and strike reach.	30 Stronger than 84% of warships
Propulsion plant Machinery type, nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.	Integrated electric propulsion (IEP) with gas turbine and diesel generators

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.	SPS-55 surface search radar

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.	$500,000,000 Stronger than 83% of warships
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	1 Stronger than 16% of warships
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.	1 Stronger than 45% of warships

Specifications compiled from public Navantia and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

Compare with rivals

See how it stacks up

Warship

Juan Carlos I Amiral Ronarc'h-class Frigate (FDI)

Naval Group Amiral Ronarc'h-class Frigate (FDI)

View Amiral Ronarc'h-class Frigate (FDI) ↗

Warship

Juan Carlos I Alvaro de Bazan class (F100)

Navantia Alvaro de Bazan class (F100)

View Alvaro de Bazan class (F100) ↗

Warship

Juan Carlos I Bonifaz class (F110)

Navantia Bonifaz class (F110)

View Bonifaz class (F110) ↗

Head-to-head comparisons

Juan Carlos I vs

Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer

Zumwalt-class Destroyer

Frequently asked questions

How many countries operate the Navantia Juan Carlos I? +

The Navantia Juan Carlos I is operated by 1 countries.

How much does the Navantia Juan Carlos I cost? +

The Navantia Juan Carlos I has an approximate unit cost of 500,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.