Designing the Next Generation Frigate for the Royal Netherlands Navy

摘要

The Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Thales are developing the Above Water Warfare System (AWWS) for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RN1N), the first implementation of which will take place on the next generation of its multi-purpose frigates. AWWS will protect the fleet against evolving future threats. The next generation will replace two Dutch and two Belgian M-frigates as of 2024. Although their primary role will be anti-submarine warfare, the new frigates must be able to independently defend themselves, as well as nearby units against modern air and surface threats. According to DMO, missiles go up to three times faster than the speed of sound, and possibly even up to five times faster in 2020. For this purpose, they will be equipped with AWWS, which Thales describes as a "state-of-the-art surface warfare fire control system".