The
Netherland’s Ministry of Defence and Thales Nederland have signed
an agreement for the update of 16 Goalkeeper Close-In Weapon Systems
that are operational in the Royal Netherlands Navy.
The operational modification will bring the system to the highest operational
status again, capable of dealing with current and future threats. In
addition, this contract solves various obsolescence issues. The enhanced
surface target mode of Goalkeeper, in combination with a new frangible
ammunition, provides Goalkeeper with the capability to act also as a
highly effective defence weapon against surface targets including speed
boats. |
Goalkeeper’s
prediction capabilities will be substantially increased through the
use of new algorithms and state-of-the-art Electro-Optic tracking capabilities.
This enables Goalkeeper to successfully engage the latest generation
of missiles. Multi-Goalkeeper deployment capabilities will also be improved.
Goalkeeper was developed in the 1980s; these modifications enable its
deployment until 2025.
The first Goalkeeper will be modified in 2015 and will be performed
by Thales. All other Goalkeepers will be modified by the Royal Netherlands
Navy at the naval base in Den Helder.
The contract includes an option for the two Goalkeeper systems on board
of the M-class frigates of the Royal Belgian Navy. This option would
ensure identical configurations and facilitate maintenance.
About Goalkeeper
Goalkeeper is a close-in defence system against highly manoeuvrable
missiles and aircraft. It is an autonomous and fully automatic system
which detects and tracks targets, opens fire and performs kill assessment
for several targets simultaneously. Continuous search with track-while-scan
provides an automatic and fast switch-over to the next-priority target
in multiple-target scenarios. Goalkeeper assures timely detection of
small and supersonic targets, even in dense clutter and jamming environments.
Pin-point tracking of sea-skimming targets is assured by the unique
dual-frequency track radar. Last but not least, the high-rate-of-fire
Gatling 30-mm gun and special ammunition provide the lethal power necessary
to destroy missile warheads. Goalkeeper's excellent performance was
clearly demonstrated during various live firing trials. A total of 63
Goalkeepers have been sold to Navies in Europe, the Middle East and
the Far East. |
