The first I-Mast 400 integrated sensor/communications mast has been installed on board the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) patrol ship Holland at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding's Vlissingen Oost shipyard. Designed, developed and integrated by Thales Nederland, the I-Mast is intended to overcome the problems inherent in traditional topside arrangements by consolidating sensors, communications and equipment cabinets in a single external module that can plug into the ship. The I-Mast 400 variant was ordered for the four 3,000-tonne Holland-class vessels in December 2007 under a EUR125 million (USD170 million) contract placed by the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation (DM0); an option was exercised by the DM0 in March 2010 for a fifth system for the new Joint Support Ship, Karel Doorman.
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