Aircraft carrier for drones will be built in Romania for the Portuguese Navy

An aircraft carrier for drones will be built in Romania, at the Damen shipyard in Galati. Damen developed this 107 meter long multipurpose vessel based on the specific requirements of the Portuguese Navy.

The ship will be equipped with a system to launch drones and unmanned helicopters and can also perform ocean survey, search and rescue and emergency relief missions, in addition to maritime security and naval support operations.

The Galati-built ship will have a ramp for UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) and USVs (unmanned surface vehicles), as well as a 94×11 meter flight deck and hangars for UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). For oceanic research and monitoring activities, the ship will be equipped with laboratories and accommodation for scientific staff.

At the same time, the vessel will have a cargo deck of 650 square meters and space for 12 containers. The Portuguese Navy currently has two Damen-built vessels in service. These are the Bartolomeu Dias-class multipurpose frigates NRP Bartolomeu Dias and NRP D. Francisco de Almeida, with a length of 122 meters. Both vessels initially served in the Royal Netherlands Navy (as Karel Doorman-class frigates) before undergoing a substantial modernization program by Damen and the Dutch agency COMMIT (Command Materiel and IT).