• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Netherlands' and German navies contract Thales for sustainment of AAW suite

15 June 2007

THALES SA announced that the Royal Netherlands Navy and Thales Nederland signed a contract for the support needed to sustain the APAR and SMART-L system capabilities on board of the "De Zeven Provinciën" class frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the "Sachsen" class frigates of the German Navy.

This Contractor Logistic Support contract was concluded on the basis of the cooperation agreement between the two navies.

This contract ensures the continued level of support after the warranty period. As Thales has unique OEM knowledge of the systems, the contract stipulates that Thales Nederland sustains the development and test environment of the APAR and SMART-L systems; that Thales staff has the required knowledge to perform the support; that Thales is responsible for the configuration management of the APAR and SMART-L systems and that Thales provides advice and support in case of complex problems.

The initial duration of the contract is six years. After this period, the contract partners may agree to conclude a new contract. This contract is unique since it is bi-national, stipulates the involvement of industrial partners and covers the sustainment of a group of hardware and software products.

Note to Editors: Thales' AAW System

The Thales Anti Air Warfare (AAW) suite consists of the Thales APAR multifunction radar, capable of guiding multiple SM2 and ESSM missiles simultaneously to multiple threats and the Thales SMART-L volume search radar with a range of more than 400 km, capable of detecting and tracking up to a thousand targets, even so-called stealthy objects. In various live firing tests, the AAW system proved to meet, and even exceed, the requirements. In 2006 the Royal Danish Navy selected this AAW suite for its new Patrol Ships. Recently, Thales proved this AAW suite has the potential to play a substantial role in the defence against Tactical Ballistic Missiles, after tests performed together with the US Navy in the Pacific Ocean. The AAW suite on the "De Zeven Provinciën" class frigates of the Netherlands' Navy will be complemented by Thales' SIRIUS long-range infrared search and track sensor in 2008.

About Thales

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, serving defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide, supported by a comprehensive services offering. The group's civil and military businesses develop in parallel to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations. Leveraging a global network of high-level researchers, Thales offers a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy critical information systems. Thales employs 70,000 people in 50 countries and generated revenues of € 10.3 billion in 2006, with a record order book of over € 20 billion.

Thales Nederland, established in 1922, is one of the leading companies in naval systems for surveillance, weapon control, combat management and system integration world-wide.