Red Hat, a global leader in open source solutions, has announced that Navantia, the Spanish government-owned company specializing in naval and defense systems, has integrated its technologies to advance the modernization of its system development and deployment. This collaboration will enable Navantia to strengthen its ability to deliver future-oriented technological solutions for defense and naval readiness.
With over 300 years of experience in military and civilian shipbuilding, as well as in designing defense systems, maintenance services, and sustainable energy projects, Navantia is part of the SEPI Group. In this context, the company faced the challenge of ensuring operational continuity throughout the lifecycle of critical systems and services, which can last more than 30 years.
This challenge is compounded by the rapid evolution of hardware, a particularly complex factor in the defense sector, where developments must remain operational for decades. To address this, Navantia adopted an abstraction between hardware and software, reducing dependencies on applications that evolve quickly compared to more stable physical infrastructures. Additionally, the company promoted the standardization of its systems and services development, which previously operated independently, with the goal of improving maintenance, management, and operational efficiency.
To meet these challenges, Navantia deployed a range of open-source solutions from Red Hat to provide long-term support and interoperability. Red Hat OpenShift serves as an application platform for virtualization, containerization, and workload management in complex operational environments. This enables Navantia to develop, support, and manage a wide variety of applications, including distributed operational environments. This common platform approach offers greater flexibility, availability, and unified control.
Navantia utilizes Red Hat Enterprise Linux as the baseline operating system for its consoles, containers, and virtual machines (VMs). The platform leverages a combination of specialized software and tools. To enable comprehensive management of Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems, Navantia uses Red Hat Satellite for centralized system management and security updates. For edge system management, Navantia employs Red Hat Device Edge, optimizing software deployment on endpoint devices. The adoption of these solutions provides several key benefits for Navantia:
- Enhanced system control: a common platform approach allows Navantia to maintain control over its systems across diverse environments.
- Automated deployments in challenging environments: enabling automatic deployment of essential systems.
- Independent operation: deployment teams now have portable tools capable of operating independently, removing dependencies on data centers or cloud services.
- Increased efficiency and resilience: automation facilitates faster and more precise deployment and recovery of services.
Navantia has also received support from Red Hat Consulting for the deployment of these solutions, which are currently in an advanced implementation phase. Additionally, Navantia is developing advanced simulation and management tools focused on predictive maintenance, automation, and operational efficiency. These models are integrated into collaborative environments with strategic partners.
Looking ahead, Navantia plans to expand these deployments to its operational systems, fostering continuous innovation amidst rapid digital transformation and growing demands within the defense sector.