Composite main propeller for Dutch minehunter

Airborne Composites has supplied the Royal Netherlands Navy with a composite main propeller for an Alkmaar-class minehunter. This is the first time in the world that composite materials have been used for a maritime main propeller of such power (about 1400 kW). The propellers were delivered to the Navy in September 2010. Test runs will start at the end of 2010 and will continue throughout 2011. The Royal Netherlands Navy has ten Alkmaar-class minehunters. These vessels were developed in the 1970s by the Navy in cooperation with its French and Belgian counterparts.