Damen Naval has signed a contract with Netherlands-based RH Marine to supply the integrated mission management system (IMMS), the integrated navigation bridge System (INBS) and the integrated platform management system (IPMS) for four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates for the Dutch and Belgian navies.
The announcement followed the official contract signing between the Dutch Ministry of Defence and Damen for the design, construction, and delivery of the new frigates.
The ASW frigates are the replacements for the current Karel Doorman-class of multipurpose frigates built between 1985 and 1991 by Damen Naval. Eight M-class frigates were delivered, of which six were eventually sold to other countries, including two to Belgium. With the end of the service life of these ships in sight, the Netherlands and Belgium decided to jointly replace the ships with these ASW frigates. The first ship is scheduled to be delivered by Damen Naval in 2028.
The systems supplied by RH Marine are based on the latest cybersecurity, network, and data centre technology, on which RH Marine's next-generation platform automation, bridge and mission management applications will run. The systems are designed to allow the ship to operate with a smaller crew, with a much higher and smarter degree of automation supporting them.
The new frigates will be deployable for multiple tasks, although the emphasis will be on anti-submarine warfare. The vessels will be equipped with a comprehensive suite of sensors to detect submarines. The technology used will create a fast, robust, and easily maintainable system that lends itself extremely well to further growth and continuous improvement.
