Navy Damen and Thales to Build the German MKS 180 Frigate of the Future

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• Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and Thales signed a €1.5B contract for the delivery and full integration of Thales’s Mission and Combat System for the four MKS 180 class frigates.
• A key milestone for the development of European defence industry, strengthening Thales’ leading position in naval integration worldwide.
• One of the largest ever in Thales’s history, this contract includes the comprehensive Tacticos Combat Management System and the AWWS (Above Water Warfare System) Fire Control Cluster.

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and Thales signed on November 17, 2020, the contract for the delivery and full integration of Thales’s Mission and Combat System for the four MKS 180 class frigates contracted by the German Navy. The system will be designed by Damen and completely built by German shipyards, under Damen’s project management.

MKS 180 frigate © Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding

Valued at €1.5B, the contract illustrates Thales’s leading position in naval global integration. It will be executed by Thales’s naval Centers of Excellence in Hengelo (the Netherlands), Kiel and Wilhelmshaven (Germany) in cooperation with a substantial number of German subcontractors.

Underpinning this contract is the proven cooperation of German and Dutch naval industries, including numerous joint opportunities for Damen and Thales in the Netherlands to innovate within naval shipbuilding projects, often with the participation of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Defence. The project underscores Damen’s and Thales’s ambition to build further cooperation with shipyards and partnering industries in high-end European naval programmes.

Thales’s Mission and Combat System includes the comprehensive Tacticos Combat Management System and the AWWS (Above Water Warfare System) Fire Control Cluster. The contract includes four ship systems, logistic services and multiple land-based test and training sites, as well as the option for one or two additional ships.

AWWS is a cutting-edge warfare suite that helps the ship crews to counter and neutralise complex saturation attacks by continuously analysing and optimising the tactical environment and deployment of resources. AWWS will be combined with APAR* Bl2, the evolved version of Thales’s proven AESA* multifunction radar. In 2019, Thales signed an AWWS development contract for the new M-frigates for the Belgian and Dutch Navies.

In the past years, Thales has been awarded several large contracts by European NATO navies, thanks to innovative solutions and its proven reliability as an industrial partner. These contracts have made Thales the de facto naval combat system partner of NATO.

The first ship of the MKS 180 class will be operational in 2028. The entire programme will run for over ten years.

"Winning such a substantial contract within the strict framework of an objective scoring system reinforces our global leading position in high-end naval integration. Thanks to our innovative capabilities, the German Navy will be able to execute both current and future tasks whilst substantially contributing to stability in the operational theatres all over the world." Gerben Edelijn, CEO of Thales Netherlands.

"As a partner in the MKS 180 programme, Thales Deutschland not only contributes to a high German value-added share, but also brings many years of experience in European cooperation and proven systems expertise. This programme will create new, high-quality jobs in Germany, within an exemplary framework of European defence cooperation. We will also contribute to maintaining the German Navy's operational capability at the highest level within the alliance," Dr. Christoph Hoppe, CEO of Thales Deutschland.

"We are very honoured by this notification which further solidifies our long-standing cooperation with the German Navy and Damen. We sincerely thank our customers for their continued trust. This huge contract anchors our position as global leader in high-end naval systems integration. The German Navy will benefit from cutting-edge technological systems thanks to the diversity of talents at Thales". Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales.

* APAR: Active Phased Array Radar
* AESA: Active Electronically Scanned Array

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global technology leader shaping the world of tomorrow today. The Group provides solutions, services and products to customers in the aeronautics, space, transport, digital identity and security, and defence markets. With 83,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of €19 billion in 2019 (on a pro forma basis including Gemalto over 12 months).

Thales is investing in particular in digital innovations — connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — technologies that support businesses, organisations and governments in their decisive moments.

Thales in the naval domain

With more than 50 years of experience as a provider of naval equipment, systems and services, Thales offers naval forces around the world unrivalled expertise and proven operational benefits. Thales understands how naval and maritime affairs are evolving today, and leverages those insights to help ensure the success of a broad range of naval missions around the world. Thales air defence, surface defence, anti-submarine warfare and maritime safety & security systems are now in service with more than 50 navies.

Thales in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Thales employs about 2.200 staff members in Hengelo, Enschede, Huizen, Delft, The Hague and Eindhoven. They are contributing to the development, production and integration of complex systems for defence, transport and security. such as Command & Control, public transport chipcard, communication systems and cyber security.

Thales in Germany

Thales Deutschland is one of the largest national subsidiaries of the Thales group and employs 3,800 persons at 11 locations and carries out its own manufacturing and development. In 2019, Thales Deutschland generated sales of EUR 1.2 billion, predominantly German value added. Thales Deutschland, an integrated German electronics corporation and systems house, is a model of German engineering tradition. As a recognized member of Germany's high-tech industry, Thales Deutschland offers its customers at home and abroad state-of-the-art, highly secure and ultra-reliable communications, information and control systems, as well as services for secure ground, air and sea transportation, for both civilian and military security and protection needs. In addition, Thales Deutschland has a comprehensive portfolio of IT solutions for cyber security.

Damen and Thales to Build the German MKS 180 Frigate of the Future

Damen and Thales signed a €1.5B contract for the delivery and integration of Thales’ Mission and Combat System for the four MKS 180 class frigates

sg.finance.yahoo.com

 

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Thales to Supply Tacticos and AWWS for German Navy's Future MKS 180 Frigates - Naval News

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and Thales signed a €1.5B contract for the delivery and full integration of Thales’s Mission and Combat System for the four MKS 180 class frigates. Here are some details on the configuration of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine) future surface combatant.

www.navalnews.com

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Here are some details on the equipment that Thales will be providing:​

• Tacticos combat management system
• Satcom system
• APAR Block 2 x-band multifunction radar for AWWS
• Gatekeeper 360° IR/TV system
• Mirador MK2 EO tracking and observation system

Other equipment (non Thales) that will be fuzed with the Thales systems (Tacticos + AWWS):

• MK41 VLS for ESSM Block 2
• Naval Strike Missile (NSM)
• KORA C-ESM and R-ESM
• TRS-4D c-band air and surface surveillance radar
• RAM CIWS
• 127mm main gun with Vulcano extended range precision munition

The decoy launchers will likely be the MASS by Rheinmetall. MKS 180 will be fitted with a sonar suite as well, but the competition for this contract is still ongoing.


Source: https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...wws-for-german-navys-future-mks-180-frigates/

Thales’s Mission and Combat System includes the comprehensive Tacticos Combat Management System and the AWWS (Above Water Warfare System) Fire Control Cluster. The contract includes four ship systems, logistic services and multiple land-based test and training sites, as well as the option for one or two additional ships.

AWWS is a cutting-edge warfare suite that helps the ship crews to counter and neutralise complex saturation attacks by continuously analysing and optimising the tactical environment and deployment of resources. AWWS will be combined with APAR* Bl2, the evolved version of Thales’s proven AESA* multifunction radar. In 2019, Thales signed an AWWS development contract for the new M-frigates for the Belgian and Dutch Navies.

About Tacticos​

TACTICOS is Thales’s naval Combat Management System (CMS) and this sits at the heart of a maritime Combat System. For the last 25 years, TACTICOS has been continuously developed in order to meet present and future military needs.


TACTICOS’s under-pinning open architecture infrastructure is what makes it so adaptable and well-suited to numerous navies with different combat system configurations and operating requirements. With 26 customer navies on all continents, TACTICOS has become the world’s most successful CMS.

Source: https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...wws-for-german-navys-future-mks-180-frigates/

 

[Vergennes]

@Costin84

Similar to the Baden-Württemberg class,another under armed German frigate class. 2x8 VLS for a 10.000 ton ship....

 

[TR_123456]

@Costin84

Similar to the Baden-Württemberg class,another under armed German frigate class. 2x8 VLS for a 10.000 ton ship....

It could be because its not build for real combat(war) duties?

''Similar to the Baden-Württemberg class however, they will also be able to stay at sea for up to two years without requiring maintenance at port, with crews rotating to and from the deployed ship every four months. This capability is expected to allow for a more efficient use of hulls by reducing the time spent during transfer from Germany to conflict zones such as the sea off the Horn of Africa where German ships repeatedly took part in counter-piracy missions such as Operation Atalanta, patrolling large areas for a long time. In this case, the "detention module" enables the crew to detain suspects and if need be quarantine them in a purpose-built medical facility.

Other intended uses are the enforcement of embargoes, escorting merchant shipping or commanding maritime task forces. In 2015, modules for mine countermeasures (MCM) and a diving chamber were planned as well.''

 

[Costin84]

@Costin84

Similar to the Baden-Württemberg class,another under armed German frigate class. 2x8 VLS for a 10.000 ton ship....

Yes, but how many water cannons? Water cannons are very important for German naval doctrine. And, ofcourse, the ship is modular, it needs space to house rescued immigrants at sea...

 

[Reviewbrah]

Are they are trying to preserve their infrastructure or something until 2028

Isn't date bit far for a ship like this?

 

[Nutuk]

Check the detail: APAR* Bl2 (= X-BAND AESA radar!!!)

X-band becomes more and more important with all those stealth fighters and drones.

 

[Madokafc]

With all of three sensor, large hull and so on....