World’s 1st Multipurpose Ship With Drone Deployment Capabilities To Be Built By Damen Shipyards For Portuguese Navy

As Rear Admiral Jorge Pires, the director of vessels, and Damen Shipyards Group CCO Jan Wim Dekker formalized the contract, the Portuguese Navy signed it with Damen Shipyards Group.

This “world’s first” 107-meter vessel, powered by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience facility, is a multi-dimensional platform designed for marine research, rescue operations, disaster relief, maritime security, and naval assistance. The ship has drone deployment capabilities.

According to GlobalData’s “Portugal Defense Market 2023-2028 research, the third greatest sector in the Portuguese defence industry is naval ships and surface combatants, predicted to total $283.8 million over the forecast period.

Damen’s design accommodates a wide range of mission profiles. The vessel specializes in oceanic research since it is outfitted with laboratories and rooms for scientific personnel.

It has a stern ramp for unmanned undersea and surface vehicles, a large flight deck, and hangars for unmanned aircraft, all at the same time.

The Portuguese Navy refers to the vessel as a multifunctional naval platform since it has a 650m2 cargo deck and space for 12 20-foot containers. This modular architecture allows on-the-fly customization of everything from containerized hospital facilities to ROV equipment, allowing it to adapt to changing mission needs.

Arnout Damen, CEO of Damen Shipyards Group, expressed delight in being chosen for this project, saying they are proud to have been chosen to build such a spectacular ship for the Portuguese Navy. It is the first of its kind, capable of creating awareness, deploying, and managing all types of drones.

Damen Shipyards supplied two M-class frigates to Portugal’s naval fleet in 2009 and 2010, according to GlobalData’s intelligence on the Portuguese defence sector.

This effort reportedly follows the Portuguese Navy’s integration of a pair of Damen-built boats, the Bartolomeu Dias-class versatile frigates, which were modernized.

Reference: Naval Today

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