NS has confirmed that the Panther ILU Programme will begin next year and is expected to last nearly 2 years. The Intermediate Life Upgrade is the first major upgrade and rebuild of NS combat ships which usually occurs after around 10 years service. The Panther ILU will be part 1 of a larger NS plan to unify its 3 fleets of Type 035 ships into a standard Type 035M.
The Panther ILU will involve enlarging the main hull to match the Indy 035B. The ships will also be re-engined with a new evolution of the Gluon TM07A-GM drive and weapon and system upgrades (which will be revealed at a later date).
Following the Panther ILU will be smaller upgrades for the Indy to bring it up to the same standard. Both will also be merged into a new Type 035M class. The Kinetic 035C will join them in the early 2120s.
