Damen picks Thales mission system and combat management system for MKS 180

Thales is to supply and fully integrate the mission and combat system for the four new MKS 180 multipurpose combat ships to be operated by the German Navy, under a €1.5 billion ($1.78 billion) deal with prime contractor Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding.

In one of the largest contracts ever won by Thales, the company will provide its Tacticos combat management system and Above Water Warfare System fire control cluster, plus logistic support and test and training at shore-based sites, for the four baseline MKS 180 vessels plus up to two optional extra ships.

‘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,’ Thales noted in an 18 November statement.

The company will execute the contract at its naval centres of excellence at Hengelo (in the Netherlands), as well as Kiel and Wilhelmshaven (in Germany), ‘in cooperation with a substantial number of German subcontractors’, it added.

Thales and Damen are already closely aligned on the MKS 180 programme. In June 2020, the German MoD chose the Dutch shipyard as prime contractor, with Thales Netherlands selected to provide radars and other sensors. 

The first-in-class MKS 180 vessel is planned to enter service in 2028. According to Shephard Defence Insight, the cost of the programme is likely to spiral from an initial €3.5 billion to €6 billion. 

As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

MKS 180 Programme (1-4) [Germany]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

TACTICOS

F126