Thales to supply VARIANT radar to German Navy ships

The German Navy trusts Thales’s expertise and technology when it comes to developing and outfitting its largest ships. Thales has been selected to be the main contractor on the project that will see the "Berlin" and "Frankfurt am Main" supply ships (EGVs) equipped with a new radar system for air surveillance and helicopter guidance . Thales was also chosen to install the same radar technology and additionally will provide the command and control system and the internal communication system on the "Bonn", a third EGV scheduled for launch in 2012. "We are proud that the German Navy has placed its confidence for these two important projects in the technology and expertise of our employees," Markus Hellenthal, CEO of Thales Deutschland said. Thales will supply the VARIANT radar, as well as hardware and software for helicopter detection and guidance for the two supply ships "Berlin" and "Frankfurt am Main" and for the “Bonn”. These systems will close a major gap in the ships' performance capabilities. The new supply ship "Bonn" will also receive a helicopter detection and guidance radar along with the command and decision control system and the internal communication system also to be supplied by Thales. The company thus plays a major role in one of the German Navy's key new construction projects, approved by Germany's parliament last year. This program will provide the German Navy with a fleet of three supply ships as of 2012, enabling it to further expand its ability to take on a wide variety of support missions. Peter Obermark, Vice President Defense Solutions and Services, can count on the proven excellence in teamwork of the company's Wilhelmshaven, Kiel and Hengelo locations. "We will manage the project from Wilhelmshaven, the radar will come from Hengelo and the communications technology from Kiel," explained Obermark.