Terma A/S C-Guard picked for Colombian frigate

Damen Naval has contracted Terma A/S to provide the C-Guard decoy launching system for Colombia’s new frigate under the Plataforma Stratégica de Superficie (PES) programme, according to an October 8 press release. The PES programme appears to be gathering speed, with several contracts recently announced, including with Saab and Kongsberg. 

The C-Guard decoy launching system “features advanced Anti-Aircraft Warfare (AAW) and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) modules, designed to protect the ship against a wide range of incoming threats,” the press release states. C-Guard can include trainable and static decoy launchers, and the system is described as “decoy agnostic” by Terma A/S. 

It is provided with an integrated artificial intelligence (AI) enabled fire control system which provides recommendations on decoy deployment strategies. Interestingly, Terma A/S adds that, “while AI operates primarily in the development phase, its ongoing evolution ensures that C-Guard MK II stays responsive to the latest threat dynamics.” This is an unusually honest indication of the capabilities provided by AI in this application.

The Ancilia trainable decoy launcher from SEA, the Cohort Plc company, can also be integrated into C-Guard, although the graphics from Damen Naval only show the static decoy launchers. The system is compatible with 130 mm and 170 mm decoys and there are two configurations, DL-6T with six tubes and DL-12T with 12 tubes. The launch tubes are arranged at different firing angles from 10° to 135° that are pointing in different directions to the sides of the ship. There is also the Mk-137 launcher which points forwards. 

Decoys can perform a variety of roles such as creating a cloud of chaff with a radar cross section that mimics that of a ship or infrared distraction, which deploys flares to interfere with infrared seekers. These systems are part of the last line of defence for a ship, often complemented by a close-in weapon system of some sort. The goal of the decoy launchers is to confuse or disrupt the performance of a missile’s seeker in the hope that it will cause the missile to fail or miss the ship. 

Calibre comment: PES progress

Contracts for the Plataforma Stratégica de Superficie are beginning to stack up, with Kongsberg selected in June to provide its Controllable Pitch Propellers, BAE in March for its Bofors 40 Mk 4 naval gun, and Saab in February for its 9LV Combat Management and 9LV Fire Control Systems. The Frigate is expected to be delivered in 2030 and will replace the four FS 1500 Almirante Padilla-class vessels that are currently in service and scheduled to imminently retire. It is expected to be integrated into Colombia’s “Force Planning 2030” plan, which aims to establish an integrated coastal surveillance radar system, according to Ghenova, a company consulting on the PES programme. Altogether this means that the programme will have to meet its production schedule, or Colombia could have to draw out the service life of its older frigates in order to retain the necessary skills. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on October 9, 2025. The lead image is a concept drawing of Colombia’s new frigate fitted with the C-Guard decoy launcher from Terma A/S. Credit: Damen Naval.