D. João II - PNM - Plataforma Naval Multifuncional
Multifunctional Naval Platform
Despite its longstanding relationship with the sea, there is one type of ship that the Portuguese Navy has never had. The Portuguese Navy has never had an aircraft carrier. However, the Portuguese Navy has unveiled a new drone mothership project called "plataforma naval multifuncional". The "D.João II" is a 107.6 meter long drone carrier that can operate in the air, on land, and underwater. The Portuguese Navy is planning to acquire this helicopter and unmanned systems mother ship for a maximum of $142 million.
The new Portuguese Navy ship is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026. The Multifunctional Naval Platform is a project financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan [PRR] worth 94.5 million euros and with state funds corresponding to 37.5 million, with the investment being developed in phases until 2026. It will be called "D. João II" - a multipurpose and innovative ship capable of carrying out emergency operations, surveillance, scientific and oceanographic research, environmental and meteorological monitoring.
The contract for the construction of this ship -- whose concept was developed by Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo -- is the responsibility of the Dutch shipyard Damen.
The Portuguese navy has concluded a contract with Damen Shipyards Group for the design, construction, and equipment of a state-of-the-art multifunctional vessel. The "drone aircraft carrier” will be produced at the shipyard in Gala?i, Romania. With financing from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) a new Portuguese Navy ship is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026. It will be called "D. João II" - a multipurpose and innovative ship capable of carrying out emergency operations, surveillance, scientific and oceanographic research, environmental and meteorological monitoring.
The Portuguese Navy contracted Damen Shipyards Group for the design, construction and outfitting of a state-of-the-art Multi-Purpose Vessel [Embarcação polivalente]. The contract was signed by Director of Ships Rear Admiral Jorge Pires and Damen Shipyards Group CCO Jan Wim Dekker. The project follows a European tender process and is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) that is part of NextGenerationEU (the economic recovery package to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic).
Damen has developed this 107-metre long Multi-Purpose Vessel based on the specific requirements of the Portuguese Navy. The resulting design is truly a multi-purpose platform, with primary mission roles including oceanic research, search and rescue, and emergency relief in addition to maritime safety and naval support operations. To this end, the vessel will be capable of deploying unmanned drones and helicopters.
For the oceanic research and monitoring scope of operations, the vessel will be equipped with laboratories and accommodation for scientific staff. For the naval support aspect, the Damen-built vessel will have numerous design features to enable such operations. This will comprise a stern ramp for UUVs and USVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles and Unmanned Surface Vehicles) as well as a 94x11-metre flight deck and hangars for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
D. João II [John II] personally killed his brother-in-law and broke the power of the aristocracy and he also oversaw the greatest expansion of Portugal’s discoveries while living much of his life under the shadow of death threats. In Portuguese history, he is known as either o Príncipe Perfeito (the Perfect Prince) or o Tirano (The Tyrant), depending on one's point of view. D João II, on his accession to the throne, clearly saw that he had to take steps to preserve his autonomy, saying on taking up the throne in August 1481: “Eu sou o senhor dos senhores, não servo dos servos” (I am the Lord of Lords, not a servant amongst servants).
Portuguese refer to D João II as the strongest and most invincible king that Portugal has ever had. At Tordesilhas in 1494, the Iberian crowns agreed, with papal benediction, to split the world between themselves. The new line was to run North - South 370 leagues to the west of the Cape Verde Islands. D João must already have known - six years before the official discovery - that Brazil was there. In August 1487, D João sent Bartolomeu Dias to find the route around the bottom of Africa. D. João II died on 25 October 1495 at the age of 40.
João II has become infamous for his persecution of the Jews who came to Portugal after their expulsion from Castile in 1492 as well as his order to seize Jewish children from their parents so that they could be converted to Christianity and sent to colonize the Island of São Tomé.
Multirole/multipurpose ship is the designation given to a pioneering naval platform with the ability to project multiple capabilities, essentially robotics and unmanned systems (drones air, land and submarine). Chuck Hill called it "a specialized, built for purpose, unmanned systems mothership.... The thing that makes this ship totally unique is the runway and ski-jump designed expressly for fixed wing unmanned air systems."
With a total length of 107.6 meters, the "D.João II" will function as an aerial, terrestrial and underwater 'drone carrier', thus enhancing the capacity for monitoring and research in the ocean. This Multifunctional Naval Platform integrates cutting-edge technology and extends the functionalities of an ocean surveillance and oceanographic research vessel to other scenarios, namely emergency scenarios. With accommodation capacity for a crew of 48 elements, plus a further 42 for scientists and unmanned systems operators, the ship will provide temporary accommodation for around 100 people.
Rear-Admiral Jorge Pires presented the project saying the idea is for “a scientific ship, which will be a kind of base on the high seas, equipped with scientific laboratories, accommodation for 90 people permanently and another 100 if necessary, for example, in an emergency evacuation situation, ramps for loading and unloading vehicles, heliport, tracks for aerial drones, a bay for underwater drones and speedboats, various cranes for hoisting research material – a “platform for projecting capabilities”.
The Navy maintained the “ship will contribute to knowledge, preservation and sustained exploration of the ocean, to direct support for populations in response to crises and to the strengthening of the country’s operational and scientific capacity, particularly for the mapping and protection of living and non-living resources, but also for surveillance and maritime surveillance, maritime search and rescue and response to maritime accidents, mainly using Unmanned Vehicles (VENT) to perform their tasks”.
| Approval date | 12/21/2021 |
| Start date | 06/23/2022 |
| Expected completion date | 12/31/2025 |
| Total eligible cost | €94,500,000.00 |
The Navy stated on 27 May 2022 that "the new platform destined for the Navy will be a multipurpose, innovative ship, capable of operating at sea on the surface, subsurface and in the air, through the launch of drones and thus transform Portugal's Defense at and through the sea. It will be the first ship that will be designed from scratch with a totally revolutionary concept, in which industry, academia and science carried out in Portugal will be involved and will serve as an example for future Navy ships. This will be the platform of the future, for the Navy at the service of Portugal.""
The images published in May 2022, showed a ship with an island and a flight deck up to the bow, like a very small aircraft carrier. The illlustration depicted a single largish helicopter on a pad to the rear of the island, with no evident hangar accomdation. And a multitude of small quadcopter drones were seen on a smaller flight deck to the port of the island. The design featured a lower stern, like a launch platform for smaller boats, along with cranes for maneuvering boasts, and presumably towed instruments that were no depicted. A hangar for small boats was forward of this installation, along with an apparatus further forward to the port for deploying larger boast into the water. While the starboard island and the flight deck were novel, the design was recognizably that of a marine research vessel.
Conventionally, a marine research ship that conducts various surveys, researches, observations, and educational trainings in the ocean is generally equipped with a large number of winches for inputting and collecting various measuring instruments. If these winches are to be installed on the same deck as the exposed deck for loading and collecting various measuring instruments, for example, preparation work for various measuring instruments, attaching these measuring instruments to cables, It is difficult to secure an ideal work area when performing mounting / recovery work to be detached from the apparatus. Also, when winches and their associated equipment, such as sheaves, are placed on exposed decks, these are not preferable for maintenance and inspection because it is exposed to the wind and the splash of waves.
Marine geophysical survey systems, such as seismic acquisition systems and electromagnetic survey systems are used to acquire geophysical data from formations disposed below the bottom of the ocean. Marine seismic survey systems typically include a seismic survey vessel that has on-board navigation, seismic energy source control and geophysical data recording equipment. The seismic survey vessel is typically configured to tow one or, more typically, a plurality of floating seismic cable sensors (streamer sensor) spaced laterally across the water. At certain times, seismic energy source control equipment causes one or more sources of seismic energy (which can be towed into the water by the seismic vessel or another vessel).
After the first competition for this design yielded no takers, A second international competition was launched on June 20, 2022, and on 29 June 2022, the Portuguese Navy published a rather different design of a "multifunctional naval platform" that included some very significant changes. Most notably, the flight deck extends for nearly the entire length of the ship, with the appearance of an aircraft carrier. And the forward part of the flight deck is a ski ramp, for the sort used by fixed-wing STOVL (take-off short and vertical landing), such as the F-35B. The island remains to the starboard in good aircraft carrier stype, but has been narrowed to provid more roome for aicraft take-off on the ski ramp.
This Multipurpose Ship/Platform (N-PM) was to have a total length, between perpendiculars, of 100 meters, a maximum beam (at flight deck level) of 20 meters and a maximum draft of 7.5 meters. It will follow STANAG 4154 (Ed 3) standards and will be able to maintain the operation of lowering and hoisting vessels in sea state 5 on the Douglas Scale. Its garrison will be composed of 1 commander, 7 officers, 8 sergeants and 29 soldiers, in a total of 45 elements. It has accommodation sized up to 28 officers, 30 sergeants and 32 enlisted men, for a total of 90 elements (in addition to the commander). It will be dimensioned for a range of 45 days at a cruising speed of 10 knots.
The N-PM shall comprise a set of aviation facilities including, among others, a flight deck (a ski-jump runway, a spot for helicopter operation, with lighting system, GPI, etc.), hangar for a helicopter (with support for hydraulic maintenance stations, overhead crane, technical lighting, etc.) and a hangar for unmanned aircraft. In terms of organic helicopter, it should support the Lynx MK95A and NH90 aircraft (either in “spot” or in hangar) and EH101 (“spot”). The flight deck must allow the operation of different types of unmanned aircraft, commonly known as “drones” (Ogassa OGS42, Tekever AR3, etc.), as well as all the support required for vertical refueling operations (VERTREP).
Within the scope of semi-rigid vessels, the N-PM will have 3 vessels: a vessel with SOLAS (“Safety of Life at Sea”) certification for operation as “Fast Rescue Boat”, with a power of not less than 250 hp; and two non-cooperative approach vessels, with capacity for 8 equipped soldiers, with a maximum speed of 35 knots or higher and a minimum autonomy of 60 nautical miles, for inspection missions , policing, combating drug trafficking, assault and support for a small embarked force.
Following the good practices and installation and operation recommendations of the “Alliance of European Research Fleets” (EUROFLEET), in terms of support systems for scientific research, the N-PM will be designed to be able to operate subsurface Unmanned Vehicles (VENTs) and remotely operated vehicles – “Remotely Operated Vehicle” (ROV). It will have a sensor pavilion (“drop keel”) for the installation of scientific and acoustic sensors; a large volume “Rosette” CTD system (for deep water sampling, with probe capable of operating up to 6,000 m); an MVP system, “Moving Vessel Profiler”, capable of operating up to 700 meters deep with the ship sailing at 8 knots; an “Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler” (ADCP); a “Global Acoustic Positioning System” (GAPS), capable of operating up to 4,000 meters deep. In addition to these organic systems, the N-PM will have the capacity and integration for several other non-organic systems (Piston Corer – Calypso, Vibrocorer, Box Corer, Multi Corer, etc.) as well as all operating and support winches.
After contract award, Damen developed a 107-metre long [348 feet] Multi-Purpose Vessel based on the specific requirements of the Portuguese Navy. The resulting design is truly a multi-purpose platform, with primary mission roles including oceanic research, search and rescue, and emergency relief in addition to maritime safety and naval support operations. To this end, the vessel will be capable of deploying unmanned drones and helicopters.
For the oceanic research and monitoring scope of operations, the vessel will be equipped with laboratories and accommodation for scientific staff. For the naval support aspect, the Damen-built vessel will have numerous design features to enable such operations. This will comprise a stern ramp for UUVs and USVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles and Unmanned Surface Vehicles) as well as a 94x11-metre flight deck and hangars for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
The new vessel will be classified by the Portuguese Navy as a Multifunctional Naval Platform (PNM). To fully match this vessel designation, Damen collaborated closely with the Portuguese Navy to incorporate future-versatility into the design. This consists of a 650m2 cargo deck and space for twelve 20-foot containers. Modular systems such as containerised hospital facilities, hyperbaric chambers, or ROV equipment can therefore be installed as required.
On 01 September 2022, the Portuguse Navy stated "This ship, designed under a new operating concept, has no military requirements and is not armed. Its main functions are environmental monitoring, namely combating maritime pollution, monitoring fishing, preserving resources, developing knowledge and research in the hydrographic and scientific field. All of its drones are unarmed and the sensors used are used to monitor, surveil and control maritime spaces under national jurisdiction. Cumulatively, this ship will be used for the eventual transport and evacuation of citizens, if necessary.... It should be remembered that Defense, through the Navy and National Maritime Authority, is responsible, among other missions, for combating maritime pollution, monitoring fishing and predatory gear, maritime rescue and oceanographic research. Areas whose capabilities available to Portugal will be enhanced by this type of platform."
A plan of the ship published in November 2022 by Chuck Hill's CG Blog showed the ship operating Lynx Mk95A, NH-90 and EH-101 helicopters. The rear of the island would serve as a hangar for a single helicopter and a forward hangar would house the smaller drones. On 24 May 2023 the Portuguese blog Barco à Vista published a video from the Navy Portuguesa showing a recreation of the ship. Notably, the video depitcs the General Atomics MQ-9B Reaper drones, a type of UAV not currently in service in Portugal. In 2022, Generalk Atomics had presented the MQ-9B STOL variant, designed to be able to take off and land on aircraft carriers.
Investigador dc at forumdefesa noted "With a total width of 20 meters at flight deck level, and noting that in the drawings, around half of that width is the ship's superstructure and the other half is the runway (approximately), this gives us a runway width of around 10 meters (maximum 12m would say). With these measures, there are not many fixed-wing drones that can operate here today and that could really take advantage of the increased range provided by the ramp.
"To put it into perspective, the MQ-1 that we have already seen in several drawings has a wingspan of almost 15 meters, the Bayraktar TB2 has 12 meters and the TB3 has 14, the MQ-9 present in one of the drawings above has 24 meters of wingspan, while the Tekever ARX should have a similar size to the Bayraktar (or even larger). That leaves the AR5, with a wingspan of 7 meters, but which does not have a VTOL version, and therefore should not be able to land on the ship. By excluding parts, we are left with the AR3 and Ogassa, which already have their range of action limited to 100km, regardless of the ramp....
"The design has already been changed numerous times. And if it is changed by the company that wins the tender, it will hardly be to make the ship better than what is designed, but rather to "cut", in order to fit the budget. To make the flight deck wider, they either increase the width of the ship, or "shrink" the superstructure, even giving up the hangar for a medium helicopter. You shrink the hangar, you also have less space for drones inside, which goes against the purpose of the ship. We are faced with the same problem, the budget.... The ship's design is cute, but it leaves many doubts as to its real capacity as a "drone carrier", as they want to sell it."
After the first competition yielded no takers, a second international competition was launched with prior qualification, on June 20, 2022, via procedure no. 7861/2022 (in DR no. 120, 23 June 2022). According to the Ministry of Defense, "four companies and/or consortiums presented themselves to the competition and two qualified" -- of which , only one presented a proposal. Through Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 35/2023, of April 24, expenditure relating to the acquisition, by the Navy, of a Multifunctional Naval Platform was authorized, up to the amount of 132,000,000.00 EUR (one hundred and thirty-two million euros), plus VAT at the legal rate in force, and which has been delegated, with the possibility of sub-delegation, to the member of the Government responsible for the area of national defense. The tender was limited by simplified prior qualification.
The Recovery and Resilience Plan is a nationwide program, with an implementation period until 2026, which will implement a set of reforms and investments aimed at propelling the country on the path to recovery, sustained economic growth and convergence with Europe over the next decade, guided by a concept of sustainability inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The PRR is aligned with the six relevant pillars of the European 2030 strategy.
In its application for PRR funding, the Navy stressed that “this vessel, idealised under a new concept of operation, has no military requirements and is not armed. Its main functions are environmental monitoring, namely in the fight against maritime pollution, fishing surveillance, preservation of resources, development of knowledge and research in hydrographic and scientific areas”. It seems that the announcement received a lot of criticism, since the military aspect is quite scarce and it will basically be an "oceanographic" ship.
On May 25, 2023, the PRR Update was submitted to the European Commission. The updated PRR presents greater ambition, having not reduced the number of investments or reforms and having, for the most part, increased its objectives. The plan currently has an even greater focus on the green transition, allocating 41.2% (37.9% in the original plan) of available funds to measures that support climate objectives, maintaining the ambition in the digital transition, dedicating 21.1 % of its total allocation and reinforces the ambition of the social dimension.
The new Naval Platform, with PRR financing integrated into the C10 component dedicated to investment in the Sea, aims to be used in emergency operations, surveillance, scientific and technological research as well as environmental and meteorological monitoring. The multidisciplinary platform that will be built will extend the functionalities of an ocean surveillance and oceanographic research vessel to other scenarios such as emergency scenarios (such as oil spills) or sea ecology monitoring activities. This PRR investment will be used in areas of activity of the Navy such as emergency operations, surveillance, scientific and technological research as well as environmental and meteorological monitoring.
The PRR C10 "... aims to develop a structural, lasting and impactful response, paving the way for the construction of a more competitive, more cohesive and more inclusive maritime economy, but also more decarbonized and sustainable, with greater capacity to take advantage of opportunities arising from climate transitions and digital. Aligned with these principles, the Sea component will contribute to national options related to strengthening national productive potential, seeking to guarantee conditions of sustainability and competitiveness of the business sector linked to the sea, as well as assuming the ambition of combating some of the pockets of poverty located in coastal communities, and ensure a territory that is both competitive and cohesive in a context of adaptation to climate and digital transitions. In terms of preserving the value of ocean ecosystem services, this component will unequivocally contribute to the “Health of the Oceans”. In addition, it will contribute to strengthening the country's operational, training and scientific capacity."
TC-C10-i03 Investment: Atlantic Defense Operations Center and Naval Platform (112 M€) is focused on "The Atlantic dimension of Portugal, founded on the continent, Azores and Madeira triangle, is strongly expanded to the South Atlantic by the dimension of cooperation with the CPLP. This geopolitical positioning can give scale to initiatives that can promote the economy of the Sea.
"The protection of resources and territory is on the agenda, ensuring that value chains are not corrupted: by pollution (currently plastics); by accidents (caused by man or nature); or for illegal or irregular acts (especially illegal fishing). Likewise, climate change will increase the number and severity of atmospheric events, creating difficulties in supporting and mitigating the impact of these events, for example in the Azores and Madeira Islands.
"This “strategic force”, the valorization of ecosystem resources, will have a direct impact on the Shipbuilding industry and industries that supply Shipbuilding, such as metalworking, or electromechanics and emerging technology industries with high added value (for example Robotics , Automation, IT, among others). The other structuring industry that will directly benefit will be R&D&I, as the new platforms, to operate in the Portuguese Sea, taking into account their size, depth (to be multiplied by time – we have to be in situ), must first be multi- functional (and multi-mission too), more autonomous, at lower costs, in a new robotic, electronic and digitalized world.
"Portugal proposes to contribute to these two agendas through the implementation of capabilities that allow it, on the one hand, to protect the Ocean and, on the other, to support the Growth of the Blue Economy in a sustainable way.
"The Atlantic Defense Operations Center and the Naval Platform will contribute to preserving the value of ecosystem services and the “Health of the Oceans”, defending the environment and territory, maintaining the preservation of the value chains of the various oceanic industries and strengthening the country's operational and scientific capacity. It is also intended to reinforce specialized intermediate and higher qualifications in the naval sector, through the Arsenal Academy, which will integrate an Innovation and Experimentation Center."
The implementation and operationalization of the investment is the responsibility of the Navy/National Maritime Authority - Ministry of National Defense - Navy, as Direct Beneficiary, which consists of: - construction of a reference multidisciplinary platform, integrating frontier technology and extending the functionalities of an ocean surveillance and oceanographic research vessel for other scenarios such as emergency situations (eg, responding to oil spills or “blooms” of plastics, algae or “jellyfish”) or activities monitoring the ecology of the sea and integrating new technological means of oceanic observation, monitoring and intervention such as aerial or underwater robotic systems.
Plataforma Naval Multifuncional consists of building a reference multidisciplinary platform, integrating frontier technology and extending the functionalities of an ocean surveillance and oceanographic research vessel to other scenarios such as emergency situations (eg, responding to oil spills or plastic blooms, algae or “jellyfish”) or activities to monitor the ecology of the sea and integrating new technological means of ocean observation, monitoring and intervention such as aerial or underwater robotic systems. Therefore, this platform aims to be used in the following areas of activity: emergency operations, surveillance, scientific and technological research as well as environmental and meteorological monitoring. The Naval Platform must allow it to correspond to the Naval Platform's areas of action, systematized based on the Navy's functions - Deterrence, Military Defense and Support to Foreign Policy; State Security and Authority; and Economic, Scientific and Cultural Development.
“We are proud to have been selected to build this spectacular vessel for the Portuguese Navy,” Damen Shipyards Group CEO Arnout Damen said after the contract signing ceremony. “We are convinced that this vessel will represent a major milestone in the naval sector. It is the first of its kind, with the highest capabilities to create awareness, deploy and manage all types of drones. This vessel’s multi-purpose functionality will enable the Portuguese Navy to develop the most demanding missions and at the same time the ability to perform research activities in the deepest areas of the ocean. It also underlines Damen’s firm relationship with the Portuguese Navy and shows a further example of European defence industry cooperation”
The Portuguese Navy currently had two Damen-built vessels in service. These are the 122-metre long Bartolomeu Dias class multi-purpose frigates NRP Bartolomeu Dias and NRP D. Francisco de Almeida. Both vessels originally served in the Royal Netherlands Navy (as Karel Doorman class frigates) before undergoing a substantial modernisation programme by Damen and the Dutch Command Materiel and IT (COMMIT) agency.
The contract for the construction of the PNM - Plataforma Naval Multifuncional [Multifunctional Naval Platform], which obtained financing under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), was signed 24 November 2023. The new platform will contribute to the expansion of knowledge of the ocean and the economic development of the country, and is expected to enter service in the second half of 2026. The event was attended by the Minister of National Defense, Helena Carreiras, the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo and representatives of the PRR.
António Luís Santos da Costa picked up precisely on the fact that this contract for the construction of the ship was signed with a Dutch company, from a Member State that traditionally opposes an increase in contributions to the European Union and that created greater difficulties in concluding the agreement for the creation of a recovery and resilience mechanism.
Without ever referring to the growing Euroscepticism among voters in the Netherlands, Santos da Costa, said that it gives him "particular pleasure that the contract was signed with a Dutch company, demonstrating, in fact, that European solidarity is not only univocal." He declared "An important part of the financing that the European Union provides to different countries has a return and multiple distribution to several Member States, namely to those that contribute most to the functioning of the European Union. With this solidarity, we also enhance the Union as a whole European".
The brain-child of Admiral Gouveia e Melo – the former COVID vaccine ‘czar’ who was increasingly tipped as a candidate for Presidency of the Republic – had been billed as an “innovative” and “disruptive” project that would effectively take the Navy to a new and exciting level. The project follows a European tender process and is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) that is part of NextGenerationEU (the economic recovery package to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic).
The international public tender was launched in June 2022, with a specification of 10 volumes and more than a thousand pages. According to the Ministry of Defense, the initial investment of 94.5 million euros from the PRR had to be reinforced, after in the first tender, launched in 2022, the only candidate qualified to develop the multipurpose ship did not present any proposal within the deadlines, as the base price was considered by the market to be too low.
The Navy had developed a pre-contractual competition procedure limited by prior qualification, with publication of an announcement in the Official Journal of the European Union, in the exercise of the powers sub-delegated by Order No. 6926/2022, of May 31, having not been any proposals were presented, since, given the evolution of the economic and financial situation, both national and international, the base price established was considered clearly insufficient to comply with the requirements described in the procedural documents, corresponding to the application submitted to the PRR and set out in the financing contract signed between the Recover Portugal Mission Structure and the Navy.
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