On May 23, a new contractual milestone was reached as part of the Belgian-Dutch Mine Counter Measure (MCM) program: Exactly one year after notification of the contract in 2019, the program successfully passed the “Systems Functional Review” phase.
The Royal Netherlands Navy (Koninklijke Marine) and Belgian Navy (Marinecomponent/Composante marine) will replace their current M-frigates (Karel Doorman-class), the Dutch MoD confirmed today in an official statement. The future frigates’ main task will be anti-submarine warfare (ASW) thanks to a new type of torpedo and their embarked NH90 NFH maritime helicopter.
The construction of the Future Surface Combatant for the navies of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Marine) and Belgium (Belgian Naval Component) could face a further delay according to local media. The two parties don’t seem to agree on some of the specifications of the so-called M-Frigate replacement.
The Belgian Navy’s future research vessel Belgica was launched on 11 February 2020 at the Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain. The delivery of the ship in Zeebrugge, Belgium, is scheduled for the last quarter of this year.
ECA Group, an expert in robotics, automated systems, simulation and industrial processes, will build its new plant in the port of Ostend in order to carry out the contract to supply their unmanned systems for the 12 minesweepers of the Belgian and Dutch navies.
The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) will receive new uniforms from the end of 2020 under the Defense Operational Clothing System (DOCS) project, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced on December 19.
The Belgian Navy plans to deploy the Léopold 1er (F930) frigate within the French carrier strike group, the 2020 operational plan of the Belgian Defense Ministry reveals.
The Belgian-Dutch Mine Counter Measure (MCM) program is making significant progress according to Naval Group. After the successful initial trials, the French shipbuilder is quietly progressing towards the industrialization phase. The current ramp-up phase will soon result in the creation of a dedicated subsidiary in Belgium by year-end.
The Belgian Navy (Marinecomponent / Composante marine) frigate Leopold I started today a 5-month long deployment as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1).
Dutch State Secretary Barbara Visser, Belgian defense minister Didier Reynders and French companies Naval Group and ECA Robotics signed the contract for 12 next generation MCM vessels and their equipment in Brussels, on July 5, 2019.
