NRP Bérrio, which was decommissioned in 2020, will be replaced by two replenishment and logistics ships as part of the Portuguese Navy's national fleet renewal programme. (Victor Barreira)

The Portuguese Navy is acquiring two fleet replenishment and logistics ships as part of its national fleet renewal programme, the service has confirmed to Janes .

Competitors interested in meeting the tender have until 27 April to deliver their proposals.

A EUR100 million (USD106.4 million) budget for acquiring the two support ships was included in the Military Programming Law 2023–34, approved by the Portuguese authorities in July 2023.

An international tender by the Directorate of Ships for the construction of the ships was issued on 28 March for publication in the Official Gazette of Portugal and the Official Journal of the European Union.

The acquisition of the two ships will be ordered separately, the navy said. The construction of the first ship is scheduled to start in the second half of 2024, followed by the second in the first half of 2026, the navy added.

The MRC weapon system (pictured above from its trials in June 2023) is a containerised version of the Mk 41 VLS that can be integrated and fired from the bed of a M983A4 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. (US Army)

The US Army's 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1MDTF) has deployed its Mid-Range Capability (MRC) weapon system – also known as the Typhon Weapons System – at Northern Luzon in the Philippines as part of Exercise ‘Salaknib 24', the US Army Pacific said in a press release on 15 April.

This deployment aims to enhance the Philippines' maritime defence capabilities, while bolstering interoperability and readiness within the US-Philippine Alliance, the US Army Pacific said.

The MRC – made up of four launchers, a battery operations centre (BOC), a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle BOC support vehicle, and battery reload capability – reached the Philippines aboard the C-17 Globemaster III airframe, the US Army Pacific added.

According to the US Army Pacific, the 1MDTF's MRC is a land-based, ground-launched system that enhances multidomain fires. The MRC launchers can fire the Standard Missile (SM)-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM).

The Netherlands has ordered seven additional GM200 MM/C radars from Thales after having ordered an initial nine in February 2019. Pictured is the first GM200 MM/C radar being handed over to the Royal Netherlands Army in Hengelo in February 2024. (Dutch MoD/Sgt Maj Gregory Fréni)

The Dutch Command Materiel and IT (COMMIT) procurement authority has ordered seven additional Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radars from Thales.

The contract includes an option for two additional radars, according to a Thales announcement on 15 April.

The GM200 MM/C is a compact mobile radar that can detect, track, and classify a large number of targets including rockets, artillery shells, mortar rounds, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles.

For the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA), the radars will be mounted on Scania Gryphus 8×8 trucks to enable rapid deployment.

A Thales spokesperson was unable to comment to Janes on the delivery timeframes.

This latest contract follows an initial agreement in February 2019 for nine GM200 MM/C radars for EUR100–250 million (USD106–266 million) to replace its legacy TPQ-36 radars. Deliveries are expected to be completed by 2024. In February Janes