Portuguese mothership of uncrewed vehicles locks in Cube ecosystem from SH Defence
The Portuguese MPV NRP D João II as it will look. (Image: Damen Shipyards)
The multi-purpose support ship being built by Damen for the Portuguese Navy has added a skidding system to its design to enhance its operational capabilities on launch.
Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding has confirmed that the new multi-purpose support ship (MPSS 7000) it is building for the Portuguese Navy will feature the Cube ecosystem from SH Defence.
The MPSS 7000 will form what the Portuguese Navy calls its Plataforma Naval Multifuncional (PNM), or simply the multi-purpose vessel (MPV), a new kind of vessel for a new era of defence, particularly focused on uncrewed systems.
The single-vessel programme has a budget of €132 million (US$145 million) and was tendered in May 2023. By November that year, Portugal had contracted with Damen to design and build the vessel.
Shephard Defence
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