Netherlands To Procure Seven Additional Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission Compact (GM200 MM/C) Radars From Thales Group

On April 15, the Netherlands’ military procurement agency, Command Materiel and IT (COMMIT), signed a contract with Thales Group to purchase an additional seven Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission Compact (GM200 MM/C) radars. This new agreement, which will allow the Dutch Forces to improve their situational awareness, builds on the agreement struck between the parties in 2019, which included nine GM 200 MM/C radars.

In the statement made by Thales Group, it was stated that the contract has the potential to be expanded with two additional system options in the future. However, other details such as the cost of the contract or the delivery schedule were not disclosed.

Jarno Ursum, COMMIT project manager, said in a statement regarding the purchase: “The Dutch Ministry of Defence has great confidence in the capabilities of this new radar. With this additional procurement we continue the strong cooperation with Thales that has been basis for the development of this radar.”

Gerben Edelijn, CEO of Thales Netherlands, added: “We greatly appreciate that the Royal Dutch Armed forces confirmed their trust in the GM200 MM/C by acquiring 7 more systems, with two in option. Thales is proud to support the safety and security of military personnel, and to contribute to the air sovereignty of European NATO nations.”

Ground Master 200 MM/C and MM/A at Eurosatory 2022 / Image Author: Guépard78 / Copyright: CC BY-SA 4.0

The Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar was developed in collaboration with Thales Group and the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces. The radar system, which is used by the Lithuanian and Norwegian armies in addition to the Netherlands, supports a variety of missions such as weapon location and counter battery, air surveillance, and air defense. The GM200 MM/C, which uses new generation 4D Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology, has proven its effectiveness in a variety of live fire tests, as well as its durability and performance.

When compared to traditional 2D and 3D radars, this advanced technology provides superior target detection, tracking, classification performance, and weapons support. Other important features of the system include 24/7 availability in GPS/EW-blocked environments and interoperability with NATO covert networks. Furthermore, due to its compact design, the GM200 MM/C can be transported by air, rail, road, and sea and can be deployed in less than 2 minutes.