TSAMTO, November 8. The Greek Defense Ministry has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Netherlands on the possible transfer of two M-class frigates (Karel Doorman) and six Alkmaar-class minesweepers from the presence of the Dutch Navy.
This is reported by Navyrecognition.com With reference to the press release published on October 29 by the General Directorate for Defense Investments and Armaments (GDDIA) of the Ministry of National Defense of Greece.
The letter was signed on the sidelines of the Conference of National Directors of Armaments of NATO Countries (CNAD), which ended on October 27. The document was signed by the General Director of GDDIA, Vice Admiral (retired) Aristeidis Alexopoulos and his Dutch colleague, Vice Admiral Arie Jan de Waard, Director of the Netherlands Defense Procurement Organization (DMO).
Currently, the Greek Navy already uses Dutch Elli-class frigates, which were transferred to the Greek Navy in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2004-2009, six of them were modernized.
Recently, the Greek Navy began the procedure of purchasing four new multipurpose frigates, as well as upgrading four existing MEKO-class frigates. In addition, the issue of buying two used frigates is being considered.
Recall that in September, Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, Director General of Naval Group Pierre Eric Pommelle and MBDA Director General Eric Beranger signed a memorandum of understanding providing for negotiations on the construction of three frigates for the Greek Navy URO FDI HN with an option to supply another ship.
For reference:
Karel Doorman-class frigates are a series of eight multipurpose vessels built for the Dutch Navy. Their main armament consists of two RGM-84 "Harpoon" quadruple anti-ship launchers with a firing range of up to 120 km and 76-mm AU OTO Melara. The air defense of the M-class frigate is provided by AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range missiles with a range of up to 14 km and a 30-mm ZAK "Goalkeeper" with a range of 200 to 3000 m. To ensure anti-submarine warfare, two twin torpedo launchers with Mk-46 torpedoes are installed on each frigate. Each frigate is based on a helicopter PLO "Links", which is armed with two Mk-46 torpedoes.
Alkmaar-class minesweepers are a series of ships developed on the basis of an agreement between the navies of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. A total of 35 minesweepers were built for the three fleets. Initially, they were equipped with DUBM 21B sonar, which can detect and classify mines at a distance of up to 80 m. Since 2003, the Dutch MTK have been upgraded with the use of new electronics, including the installation of the Atlas Elektronik INCMS combat control System (DBMS), the Thales 2022 Mk III sonar, the Atlas Seafox mine identification and disposal system and the ROV Double Eagle Mk III Mod 1.
