Germany upgrades minehunting vessels
Atlas Elektronik will modernise three minehunting vessels of the German Navy under an order announced on 21 December. The contract, signed with the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), is worth €78.5 million.
The Germany Navy is carrying out a project to equip the Frankenthal class (Type 332) vessels with the Integrated Mine Counter Measure System (IMCMS) and Atlas Elektronik’s SeaFox mine disposal vehicle. The vessels will also be given the ability to control the Seehund remotely operated vehicle. A shore-based training and testing facility will also be established.
Between 2009 and 2012, Atlas Elektronik fitted out five Frankenthal class vessels with the IMCMS and SeaFox. With this phase of the programme, a further three vessels will be modernised. The remaining two boats will be used as mission platforms for mine clearance divers.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
China’s mineral processing dominance exposes naval supply chain vulnerabilities
Competition for critical minerals, and China’s dominance of their processing, is emerging as a decisive factor in future naval procurement programmes.
-
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.