LONDON, July 16 (UPI) -- The Lithuanian Navy has formally accepted and commissioned two mine-hunting vessels into its fleet following their refurbishment by Thales U.K.
The ships were formerly operated by the British Royal Navy.
"The commissioning of LNS Skalvis and LNS Kursis now gives the Lithuanian Navy a world-class, cutting-edge mine-hunting capability that really is second to none," said Ed Lowe, head of Thales U.K.'s naval business. "It is a program that has drawn upon the expertise and skills of our Thales team and our sub-contractors and supply chain across the U.K. and Europe."
Thales was awarded the contract by Britain's Disposals Services Authority, a unit of the Ministry of Defense. The project included outfitting the vessels with new combat systems, among them Thales' Sonar 2193, an advanced hull-mounted wideband mine-hunting sensor, Thales MCUBE Command and Control system, and a mine disposal system.
The official acceptance and commissioning ceremony took place at Lithuania's Klaipeda naval base.
