BAE Systems has signed a contract with the Dutch defence materiel agency COMMIT for the delivery of eight Bofors 40Mk4 naval gun systems to the Dutch and Belgian navies. The contract is part of a joint initiative between the navies of the Netherlands and Belgium, and means that both countries will receive two frigates each with two naval gun systems per ship.

– This important step ensures that the new frigates receive the state-of-the-art capability they need, including our advanced 3P ammunition, says Stefan Löfström, Marketing and Sales Director at BAE Systems Bofors, in the company's press release and continues.

– BAE Systems continues to support our NATO allies by delivering enhanced capability that contributes to security in Europe.

According to the press release, the contract includes installation, training, documentation, spare parts, and tools, as well as an option for the programmable proximity-fuzed ammunition BAE Systems Bofors 3P (Prefragmented, Programmable, Proximity-fuzed) and additional guns for training purposes. The first gun is planned to be delivered in 2026.

The Bofors naval gun 40Mk4 has multi-role capability and can switch between different types of ammunition, which enhances the ability to counter threats from air, land, and sea - including with BAE Systems Bofors 3P.

The gun is also a variant of the one Bofors has implemented in its air defence system Tridon Mk2, where the system can be mounted on various vehicles and also deployed on platforms, as Defence Sector News previously reported.