Defense wants to strengthen Dutch industry with new frigates, costing up to €8 billion

The acquisition of four new LC frigates is an example of the new industrial policy that the Ministry of Defense will pursue. In this way, the Dutch maritime industry will be strengthened, said outgoing State Secretary Christophe van der Maat (Defense) on Friday.

The Council of Ministers approved the purchase of four new air defense and command frigates. This will, however, require more than 2.5 billion euros. Furthermore, another 1 to 2.5 billion euros will be needed for armament. RTL News reported, based on sources, that the total amount could even amount to 8 billion euros.

The LC frigates form an important part of the combat power at sea as they can protect a maritime task force, civilian ships and coastal areas against air threats such as drones, aircraft, helicopters and anti-ship missiles, according to the Ministry of Defense.

These will be the "largest and most expensive" ships in the navy, said Van der Maat. He wants shipbuilder Damen to build the ship and Thales Netherlands to build the radar and fire control system. An agreement still needs to be reached with both companies, the minister wrote to parliament.

The Ministry of Defense wants to strengthen its relations with the industry. According to Van der Maat, this involves "a partnership with the industry that includes not only the construction of naval vessels but also infrastructure, personnel, innovation, knowledge development and maintenance". The Netherlands is dependent on foreign countries for the armament of its ships.

Strengthening the maritime industry should also make Europe strategically more independent of other countries. "The EU must be able to keep its own pants on," said the State Secretary. Awarding the contracts for the ships in the Netherlands could help to make the EU "stronger and more independent", he claimed.

The hope is that other countries that need to replace frigates will join the project. For instance, the Ministry of Defense has Denmark, Norway and Germany in mind. However, it has not yet been possible to reach "concrete cooperation agreements" with other countries, said Van der Maat. However, he is still interested in doing so.

The first new LC frigate is expected to be delivered by 2034 at the latest, two years later than previously planned. The last frigate should be fully operational by 2041. Due to the delay, the current LC frigates will have to spend two years longer at sea. They will be modernized in the coming years.

The Ministry of Defense will replace many ships in the coming years. "The Ministry of Defense also wants to work earlier and more intensively with Dutch industry on future naval projects, such as the procurement of amphibious transport ships," the ministry stated.