The Danish Ministry of Defence’s Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) has signed a contract with Thales Netherlands for the supply of five mobile Ground Master 200 Multi Mission Compact (GM200 MM/C) digital radars, it was announced on 31 October 2023.
The contract was signed as a government-to-government agreement with DALO’s Dutch counterpart: the Command for Materiel and IT (COMMIT), previously known as the Defense Materiel Organization. COMMIT has an existing contract in place with Thales Netherlands for the procurement of radar systems, which includes options to allow other NATO nations to utilise the contract. As reported at the time by European Security and Defence and Europäische Sicherheit und Technik, this same agreement was used by Norway in November 2022 for the procurement of the same type of radar.
In connection with the contract signature, the chief of DALO, Lieutenant General Kim Jesper Jørgensen, stated, “This represents an advanced capacity that the Danish armed forces need, especially in the current security climate.” He added, “This is an example of how DALO is changing its procurement procedures, so instead of a time-consuming open-bid process, we chose a faster procurement option, in this case in collaboration with our close ally the Netherlands.”
In its press release DALO also stated that the procurement was enacted following a thorough market analysis that showed that, not only did the GM200 MM/C radar meet Denmark’s technical and operational requirements, but that the existing Dutch contract allowed for the fastest possible delivery.
This was echoed by Vice Admiral Jan Willem Hartman, the chief of COMMIT, who stated that “Co-operation is important, especially among the smaller nations in Europe. The procurement of the [radar] is an example of how allies can help each other to bolster their defence through the use of interoperable materiel. It is also an advantage that the Danish and Netherlands radars have identical configurations, as this allows co-operation on future upgrades and support.”
The radar configuration contracted by DALO is based on a standardized 20 ft (6.1 m) container module. This allows it to be rapidly installed on a wide range of platforms or ground sites, increasing its mobility and flexibility.
The GM200 MM/C radar is multi-mission capable and will be used by Denmark to supplement the current fixed radar sites it uses for airspace surveillance, especially with regard to low-altitude threats. The radar can detect and track a wide range of airborne targets, including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, and is able to classify detected contacts with regards to type. If necessary, this information can then be used to provide targeting data to air defence systems.
The radar itself is a digital 4D active electronically scanned-array (AESA) system, which allows the radar beam to rapidly be steered and pointed in different directions without needing to physically move the antenna. The fact that the GM200 MM/C is digital also means that future upgrades, such as the addition of new functionalities, can in many cases be performed as software upgrades. For example, while Denmark and the Netherlands will use the GM200 MM/C radars for airspace surveillance, Norway is using the same radar for counter-battery purposes to detect rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds.
Neither the DALO press release nor a corresponding one from Thales stated the value of the contract or the expected delivery timeline.
