German Navy places its faith in F125 frigates
First-of-class Baden-Württemberg, a German F125 frigate, has been put to the test and declared suitable for Indo-Pacific operating conditions.
The Spanish Navy’s five F110 frigates will be equipped with Thales sonars to provide the vessels’ anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability, the company announced on 12 December.
Thales will deliver the CAPTAS 4 Compact and the BlueMaster sonars, TUUM-6 underwater communication system and the BlueScan digital acoustic system for integration with the SCOMBA Combat Management System.
The sonar systems will enable the F110 to conduct maritime surveillance, search and protection missions in any theatre of operations.
BlueScan is a collaborative ASW solution that processes high volumes of sonar data from various different platforms to provide the operator with a complete overview of the acoustic situation in real time.
Alexis Morel, vice president, underwater systems, Thales, said: ‘After two years of talks with the Spanish Navy and Navantia about this contract to equip five F110 frigates, we welcome Spain's decision to join other NATO countries (the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Norway) and Australia in placing their trust in Thales for their ASW capabilities.
‘With our Spanish partners, and with Navantia in particular, we are very pleased to have the opportunity to strengthen our cooperation on this programme, in which local industry will play a significant role in producing, integrating and maintaining the systems alongside the Spanish Navy.’
First-of-class Baden-Württemberg, a German F125 frigate, has been put to the test and declared suitable for Indo-Pacific operating conditions.
In June 2022, the Portuguese Navy released the concept of a multifunctional ship called Plataforma Naval Multifuncional (PNM) and a tender was issued in late May 2023. A contract with Damen was signed in November 2023.
The Pattugliatori Polivalenti d'Altura (PPA or multipurpose combat ship) Thaon di Revel Class class consists of seven multi-role offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Italian Navy. Giovanni delle Bande Nere is the fourth of class.
Despite a record budget proposal, Japan’s military force has continued to face staffing problems, while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force readies itself for a major upheaval of its surface fleet.
The Barracuda is a conventionally-powered submarine design based on the Suffren-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. The four Dutch submarines will be named Orka, Zwaardvis, Barracuda and Tijgerhaai.
ESSM Block 2 upgrade replaces the largely obsolete guidance section with a dual mode Active/Semi-Active X-Band seeker.