Saab to supply combat system for Colombian Navy’s frigates
An Almirante Padilla-class frigate, which will be replaced by the new fleet. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/ Lt. Ligia Cohen
A deal between Saab and Damen Naval will add significantly to the technological fit of Colombia’s new vessels.
The vessels in Colombia’s frigate acquisition programme, Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie, will be fitted with a substantial amount of new Saab equipment, following the signing of a new contract.
The top line item in the contract is Saab's 9LV Combat Management System and 9LV Fire Control System.
The deal between Saab and Damen Naval will also provide Ceros 200 radar and optronic tracking fire control director equipment, EOS 500 electro-optical fire control director technology, and Saab’s Sea Giraffe 4A radars to the Colombian frigate fleet.
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Carl-Johan Bergholm, senior vice president and head of Business Area Surveillance at Saab said the company was “honoured” that the Colombian Navy has selected it to supply the fleet’s combat system. The deal marks the first time Saab and Damen Naval have worked together.
The Colombian Navy’s new frigates will be built by Colombian shipbuilder Cotecmar; Damen Naval will deliver engineering, technical support and shipbuilding material. The design for the Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie is based on the Damen Naval SIGMA 10514 series.
The first of Colombia’s five new frigates is scheduled for delivery in 2030, with all five expected to be in service by 2034. The frigates will begin to replace a surface fleet most of which is almost forty years old.
Colombia’s existing 105m-long Almirante Padilla-class frigates have been updated in recent decades to stop them becoming entirely obsolete.
Thales added the SMART-S Mk2 radar, TACTICOS combat management system, new MTU engines, EOIR systems, anti-ship missiles and DART 76mm munitions to them in 20212. Nevertheless, the class is now beyond its extended out-of-service date of 2024.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) - Frigate Acquisition Programme [Colombia]
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