Thales has been awarded a £19 million contract to perform the mid-life update to the external communications voice distribution and management of the British Royal Navy's Type 23 frigate fleet.
The contract will see Thales replace the current analogue communications system, also called KMY, with a fully digital one. Thales was awarded the contract in an open competition.
The UK operates 13 Type 23 Duke Class frigates. Initially designed for anti-submarine warfare, the frigates are currently also used for anti-surface warfare with their Boeing Harpoon surface-to-surface missile and Seawolf point missile defence system.
The contract continues the mid-life update of the frigates, which were built between 1985 and 2002. In 2015, the UK awarded £80 million worth of contracts to Rolls-Royce subsidiary MTU and Hitzinger UK for other upgrade work.
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