Netherlands orders Thales MMR

The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 11 February that it had awarded Thales a contract for the delivery of nine Multi Mission Radars (MMRs). The radars are designed for artillery, air surveillance, air defence, and security applications, according to Thales.

The Dutch MoD announced on 11 February that it had awarded Thales a contract for the delivery of nine MMRs. (Thales)

The contract value was not disclosed, but the Dutch government gave a range of EUR100–250 million (USD113–282 million) in its November 2018 Defence Industry Strategy.

The radars will be delivered to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) starting in mid-2021.

The MMR – marketed as the GM200 MM/Compact – is the latest version of the T- and S-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar family (like the NS100, NS200, and SM400) developed for ground applications including air surveillance, weapon locating, and counter-battery missions.

The MMR can be transported by truck and is claimed to be deployable within two minutes. The radar is fully automatic, designed to detect, track, and classify a large number of targets including rockets, artillery shells, mortar rounds, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles. In the counter-battery role, the MMR is capable of distinguishing the individual tracks in a salvo firing, according to Thales.

Thales said the system is ‘future-proof’, able “to keep pace with changes in missions and threats”.

“Due to its unique true multi-mission capability, the MMR will not only set the conditions for winning battles at long range by accurate target acquisition, the MMR will also enhance the RNLA air-defence capability by addressing the evolving air threat, including rocket, artillery, and mortar and unmanned air systems,” said RNLA Commander Lieutenant General L J A Beulen.