Damen Naval has signed an agreement with Dutch company RH Marine to deliver management capabilities for the Netherlands and Belgium’s upcoming Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates.
Under the contract, each of the four vessels will receive RH Marine’s Integrated Mission Management System, Integrated Navigation Bridge System, and Integrated Platform Management System.
‘Blueprint’ for Future Vessels
RH Marine’s integrated management products are built with the latest network, cybersecurity, and data center technology.
Once deployed, they will enable the frigates to operate with a smaller crew while supported with a “higher and smarter degree” of automated processes and applications.
“Over the past few years, in an excellent collaboration between COMMIT, Damen and RH Marine, an innovative foundation has been established for automation in relation to the manning and operations concept,” RH Marine Managing Director Hugo Loudon said.
“This will form the blueprint for the ships of the future of the Dutch and Belgian navies.”
Supporting Dutch Industry
According to Damen, the collaboration with RH Marine exhibits its support for the local Dutch industry.
“One of our objectives is that we want to share the enormous knowledge accumulation we gain from this kind of high-quality, launching customer project with as many Dutch suppliers as possible,” Damen Naval Managing Director Roland Briene stated.
“This way, the Netherlands maintains its place in the world’s top tier of complex naval construction and strengthens our position within existing and new European partnerships.”
“This contract with RH Marine is an excellent example of that. We have been working closely together for many years and once again I am looking forward to a great project with a wonderful end result.”
New Frigates Decade’s End
The Dutch and Belgian frigates will serve as multi-role assets to counter submarine-related threats and replace the forces’ existing Karel Doorman or M-class frigates that were built by Damen Naval between 1985 to 1991.
Each frigate will be 145 meters (476 feet) in length with a capacity for up to 117 personnel.
They will be equipped with various weapons, including anti-aircraft and naval missiles, torpedoes, and machine guns.
The official launch of the fleet’s construction was announced in June 2023.
This month, Thales was selected by the company to supply the vessels with naval fire control systems and sensors.
Handover of the completed ships to the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Belgian Navy is scheduled for 2029 and 2030.