Netherlands Ministry of Defence partners with Thales for air defence systems and services
Key points
- Partnership with MOD for service of six SMART-L EWC radar systems.
- By long-term commitment, MOD is able to improve management of costs.
- Thales has key position in maintaining operational availability of these radar systems.
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Thales announce their partnership for the service of four SMART-L Early Warning Capability (EWC) radars for the Royal Netherlands Navy, as well as service and delivery of two SMART-L EWC Ground Based systems (GB) for the Royal Netherlands Airforce.
“These are unique contracts in which the services for both ground based and naval systems have been aligned and the MOD has involved a private party,” says vice-admiral Borsboom, Director of the Defense Materiel Organisation in The Netherlands. ‘By long term commitment we are able to improve the management of costs during the life cycle of the system.’
“These contracts provide Thales with a key position in maintaining the operational availability of these ground based and naval systems. These contracts are fully in line with our objectives to work more closely together with customers all over the world.”
Gerben Edelijn, CEO of Thales in the Netherlands.
Notes to editors
About the SMART-L EWC
As from 2018 maintenance services of the four SMART-L EWC radars for the Air Defense- and Command Frigates will be carried out in cooperation with the Services and Maintenance Organization of the Royal Netherlands Navy (DMI) for a period of 16 years. The Royal Netherlands Navy and its crews will perform regular on board maintenance. Thales will guarantee the availability of the necessary spare parts and will provide maintenance training together with the Navy.
About the SMART-L EWC Ground based
The contracts for the two SMART-L EWC ground based versions for the Royal Netherlands Air force were closed in December 2014. These systems will replace the current Medium Power Radar systems that were commissioned in the 70’s of the last century. Like the naval versions, the new systems possess a unique combination of long distance surveillance radar with Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capabilities.
The two ground based systems come with a full Thales performance based logistics contract. Thales will be responsible for service and maintenance of these systems for 16 years.
About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defence and Security markets. With 61,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of €13 billion in 2014. With over 20,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet the most complex security requirements. Its unique international footprint allows it to work closely with its customers all over the world.