Business Wire

THALES

18.11.2020 07:02:05 CET | Business Wire | Press release

Share
Damen and Thales to Build the German MKS 180 Frigate of the Future

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and Thales signed on November 17, 2020, the contract for the delivery and full integration of Thales’s Mission and Combat System for the four MKS 180 class frigates contracted by the German Navy. The system will be designed by Damen and completely built by German shipyards, under Damen’s project management.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201117005651/en/

Valued at €1.5B, the contract illustrates Thales’s leading position in naval global integration. It will be executed by Thales’s naval Centers of Excellence in Hengelo (the Netherlands), Kiel and Wilhelmshaven (Germany) in cooperation with a substantial number of German subcontractors.

Underpinning this contract is the proven cooperation of German and Dutch naval industries, including numerous joint opportunities for Damen and Thales in the Netherlands to innovate within naval shipbuilding projects, often with the participation of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Defence. The project underscores Damen’s and Thales’s ambition to build further cooperation with shipyards and partnering industries in high-end European naval programmes.

Thales’s Mission and Combat System includes the comprehensive Tacticos Combat Management System and the AWWS (Above Water Warfare System) Fire Control Cluster. The contract includes four ship systems, logistic services and multiple land-based test and training sites, as well as the option for one or two additional ships.

AWWS is a cutting-edge warfare suite that helps the ship crews to counter and neutralise complex saturation attacks by continuously analysing and optimising the tactical environment and deployment of resources. AWWS will be combined with APAR* Bl2, the evolved version of Thales’s proven AESA* multifunction radar. In 2019, Thales signed an AWWS development contract for the new M-frigates for the Belgian and Dutch Navies.

In the past years, Thales has been awarded several large contracts by European NATO navies, thanks to innovative solutions and its proven reliability as an industrial partner. These contracts have made Thales the de facto naval combat system partner of NATO.

The first ship of the MKS 180 class will be operational in 2028. The entire programme will run for over ten years.

“Winning such a substantial contract within the strict framework of an objective scoring system reinforces our global leading position in high-end naval integration. Thanks to our innovative capabilities, the German Navy will be able to execute both current and future tasks whilst substantially contributing to stability in the operational theatres all over the world.” Gerben Edelijn, CEO of Thales Netherlands.

“As a partner in the MKS 180 programme, Thales Deutschland not only contributes to a high German value-added share, but also brings many years of experience in European cooperation and proven systems expertise. This programme will create new, high-quality jobs in Germany, within an exemplary framework of European defence cooperation. We will also contribute to maintaining the German Navy's operational capability at the highest level within the alliance,” Dr. Christoph Hoppe, CEO of Thales Deutschland.

“We are very honoured by this notification which further solidifies our long-standing cooperation with the German Navy and Damen. We sincerely thank our customers for their continued trust. This huge contract anchors our position as global leader in high-end naval systems integration. The German Navy will benefit from cutting-edge technological systems thanks to the diversity of talents at Thales”. Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales.

* APAR: Active Phased Array Radar
* AESA: Active Electronically Scanned Array

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global technology leader shaping the world of tomorrow today. The Group provides solutions, services and products to customers in the aeronautics, space, transport, digital identity and security, and defence markets. With 83,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of €19 billion in 2019 (on a pro forma basis including Gemalto over 12 months).

Thales is investing in particular in digital innovations — connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — technologies that support businesses, organisations and governments in their decisive moments.

Thales in the naval domain

With more than 50 years of experience as a provider of naval equipment, systems and services, Thales offers naval forces around the world unrivalled expertise and proven operational benefits. Thales understands how naval and maritime affairs are evolving today, and leverages those insights to help ensure the success of a broad range of naval missions around the world. Thales air defence, surface defence, anti-submarine warfare and maritime safety & security systems are now in service with more than 50 navies.

Thales in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Thales employs about 2.200 staff members in Hengelo, Enschede, Huizen, Delft, The Hague and Eindhoven. They are contributing to the development, production and integration of complex systems for defence, transport and security. such as Command & Control, public transport chipcard, communication systems and cyber security.

Thales in Germany

Thales Deutschland is one of the largest national subsidiaries of the Thales group and employs 3,800 persons at 11 locations and carries out its own manufacturing and development. In 2019, Thales Deutschland generated sales of EUR 1.2 billion, predominantly German value added. Thales Deutschland, an integrated German electronics corporation and systems house, is a model of German engineering tradition. As a recognized member of Germany's high-tech industry, Thales Deutschland offers its customers at home and abroad state-of-the-art, highly secure and ultra-reliable communications, information and control systems, as well as services for secure ground, air and sea transportation, for both civilian and military security and protection needs. In addition, Thales Deutschland has a comprehensive portfolio of IT solutions for cyber security.

PLEASE VISIT

Thales Group
Market page
Download HD photos

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Visa Opens the Door to AI-Driven Shopping for Businesses Worldwide8.4.2026 18:00:00 CEST | Press release

Part of the Visa Intelligent Commerce portfolio, Intelligent Commerce Connect will enable more ways for agents to pay and merchants to accept agentic transactions in a single integrationCurrently in pilot with select partners including Aldar, AWS, Diddo, Highnote, Mesh, Payabli, Sumvin, and rolling out to more partners this year Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) today unveiled Intelligent Commerce Connect, a new solution that makes it easier for businesses to connect to and participate in AI-powered commerce. Intelligent Commerce Connect acts as a network, protocol, and token vault-agnostic ‘on ramp’ to agentic commerce for agent builders, merchants, and enablers. As consumers increasingly rely on AI agents to make purchases, businesses – whether they are building agents, selling to them, or processing transactions – need a simple way to get started. Intelligent Commerce Connect, part of the Visa Intelligent Commerce portfolio, meets that need. Through a single integration via the Visa Acceptance Pl

Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo and Brookfield Complete the Acquisition of Air Lease Corporation8.4.2026 15:13:00 CEST | Press release

Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo-managed funds (“Apollo”) and Brookfield today announced that they have completed the previously announced acquisition of Air Lease Corporation (“Air Lease”) and have renamed the business Sumisho Air Lease Corporation (“Sumisho Air Lease”). This transformational transaction improves the financial position of the business with long term support and aviation expertise from co-investors Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo and Brookfield. Sumisho Air Lease’s strong foundation as an established aircraft lessor, supported by SMBC Aviation Capital’s industry‑leading capabilities as servicer, creates a platform with the scale and financial strength needed to meet the fast‑changing and increasingly complex requirements of airline customers. Sumisho Air Lease will also benefit from the deep expertise and long-standing commitment that both Sumitomo Corporation and SMBC Aviation Capital bring to the global aviation leasing sector.

Sitetracker Launches Scout, an Agentic AI Platform Purpose-Built for Critical Infrastructure8.4.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release

Sitetracker, the leading Asset Lifecycle Management platform for critical infrastructure, today announced the launch of Scout, its new Agentic AI platform designed to help infrastructure owners, operators, and contractors gain deep insights and drive automation within their operations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260408923336/en/ Scout, ready for real work As your AI analyst and agent, Scout is ready to work on day 1. Scout provides clarity when decisions are forming and momentum when action is required. It surfaces risk, synthesizes information, and helps accelerate execution by connecting data and driving action. Scout creates operational intelligence and turns it into action all in a secure environment that protects data sovereignty. “Our customers are looking to create compounding competitive advantages,” said Giuseppe Incitti, Chief Executive Officer of Sitetracker. “Scout delivers by providing easy t

Westinghouse Hosts Annual VVER Fuel Forum with Customers8.4.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release

Westinghouse currently has fuel supply contracts with all the European VVER operators Westinghouse and MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) recently co-hosted the VVER Fuel Forum in Budapest to share insights and plans for the continued deployment of VVER-1000 and VVER-440 fuel in operating reactors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260408646373/en/ Participants to the VVER Fuel Forum Péter János Horváth, CEO of MVM Paks, welcomed all the participants, highlighting that Hungary is ending two decades of single supplier fuel dependency thanks to the agreement recently signed with Westinghouse to supply the VVER-440 NOVA E-6 fuel design. Six customers presented the progress made and positive outcomes achieved in the past years with the introduction of Westinghouse fuel into mixed cores with resident fuel in their reactors: Energoatom has extensive experience with Westinghouse VVER-440 and VVER-1000 fuel, currently u

Virica Biotech and FUJIFILM Biosciences Collaborate Under the Canada–Japan Co‑Innovation Program to Advance AAV Production Enhancers8.4.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release

Efficient production of Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) vectors at scale for in vivo gene therapies remains a key bottleneck for broad patient access and sustainable manufacturing costs.Virica and FUJIFILM Biosciences will co-develop an off-the-shelf enhancer–media solution to boost AAV yields and process robustness in FUJIFILM Biosciences BalanCD® HEK293 system. Virica Biotech (“Virica”), a cell enhancer company specializing in Viral Sensitizers (VSE™) for viral vector manufacturing, today announced it is receiving advisory services and funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), under the Canada–Japan Corporate Co-Innovation Program for a collaboration with FUJIFILM Biosciences. The collaboration will focus on optimizing a VSE™ formulation for FUJIFILM Biosciences BalanCD HEK293 media to support academic and commercial AAV producers globally. AAV vectors are a cornerstone of in vivo gene delivery for gene therapies, but they re

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye