BAE Systems will provide Bofors 40 Mk4 40 mm naval guns for the Belgian-Dutch ASWF frigate programme.
Bofors 40 Mk4 will be the secondary naval gun (two guns per ship) on the jointly developed frigates against surface and air targets. This is thanks to the 3P programmable ammunition with six modes, including time-fuse and proximity against air targets.
In addition to the baseline version, BAE Systems revealed the truck-based variant Tridon Mk II fitted with an independently moving electro-optical system.
The main gun of the ASWF frigates will be the Italian Sovraponte 76 mm naval gun, also a multirole weapon thanks to DART radar-guided ammunition (anti-air) and VULCANO extended-range guided ammunition (anti-surface). After the Thaon di Revel-class OPVs and future DDX destroyers of the Italian Navy, ASWF will be the third warship to use the naval gun.
The Dutch Damen Shipyard will build the ships, and Thales will supply the sensors and electronics. Two will be delivered to the Dutch Royal Navy, while the others will be to the Belgian Navy. The ASW frigates will replace the ageing 30-year-old Multipurpose (M) frigates of both countries.
For ASW missions, a Hull-Mounted Sonar (HMS), a Low-Frequency Active Passive Sonar (LFAPS), and a communication system to receive signals from sonar buoys will be integrated. The frigate will also monitor the water surface for irregularities to detect submarine periscopes.
BAE Systems Provides Naval Guns for Belgian-Dutch Frigates
