Belgium orders sensors for M-class frigates from Thales

Thales Nederland has received a contract for two Seastar and Gatekeeper sensors, that are to be delivered and installed on the two multi-purpose M-class frigates of the Belgian Navy. The modernisation will take place in 2011 and 2013 in the scope of the M-frigates' upgrade programme. The Seastar and Gatekeeper sensors provide the vessels with the capability to detect small targets encountered during missions, and to counter frontier-running, pollution, drugs trafficking and piracy. The two new sensors will be matched with the tried-and-true SMART-S surveillance radar and the STIR weapon control radar that are on board of the M-frigates. Based on the cooperation between the Dutch and the Belgian Navy, this contract was already an option in the contract that Thales concluded in 2008 with the Royal Netherlands Navy, and that provided for the delivery of the Seastar and Gatekeeper sensors to the two M-class frigates of the RNLN.