Outlining the accelerated procurement to the House of Representatives on 24 September, Dutch state secretary for defense Gijs Tuinman said the new vessels – based on a commercial fast crew supply design – will be built by Damen, with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) selected to supply the containerised weapon and electronic warfare (EW) packages that will equip the craft.
A basic surveillance capability for operations in the North Sea is planned from 2026. The intention is to have both vessels fully combat capable by the end of 2027.
The idea of procuring a low-manned platform to operate as an ‘offboard’ magazine for RNLN air defence and command frigates (ADCFs) was conceived in 2022 under a concept activity known as TRIFIC (The Rapidly Increased Firepower Capability). Studies completed under TRIFIC explored the possibility of adding one or two simple low-manned surface vessels, embarking modular payloads, to augment the firepower or complement the sensors on its existing surface combatants TRIFIC subsequently morphed into a concept known as Modular Integrated Capability for ACDF and North Sea (MICAN) which also factored in an emerging requirement to increase surveillance and protection of critical infrastructures in the North Sea region. MICAN has
now evolved to additionally encompass fire support/precision strike for the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, so becoming the multifunction support vessel.
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence – through its Materiel and IT Command (Commando Materieel en IT – COMMIT) – has fast-tracked the programme through the A phase (requirements setting) and B phase (market research) of the procurement cycle. In his combined A/B letter to the House of Representatives detailing the outcome of this activity, Tuinman said that the new vessels would be payload-configured to contribute to three different missions: provide additional long-range surface-to-air missile capacity for the four De Zeven Provinciën-class ADCFs; employ long-range precision-guided munitions against coastal targets in support of amphibious operations; and provide protection for infrastructure in the North Sea. The vessels will also be able to embark an EW payload – combining both intercept and jamming functionality – to support combat operations.
“Defence opts for the acquisition of fully developed products ‘off-the-shelf’ for which, as the market research has shown, only one manufacturer is available,” wrote Tuinman. “In view of the essential interests of national security, the acquisition takes place using Article 346 TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). Damen is the supplier of the two militarised multifunctional support vessels. The Israeli company IAI is the manufacturer of the anti-aircraft missiles, the long-range precision munitions and the equipment for electronic warfare.”
The requirement for additional long-range anti-air missiles has been shaped by operational analysis which has determined that a massive and simultaneous attack with anti-ship missiles or swarming drones could rapidly exhaust existing ACDF magazine capacity. According to Tuinman, the concept of ‘distributed operations’ developed by the RNLN will see a De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate operating in close company with a multifunction support vessel with additional missiles housed in containers on the aft deck.
Launch commands and missile guidance support will be provided by the accompanying frigate. Whereas the De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates are equipped with the Standard Missile-2 Block IIIA missile for medium-range air defence, the new multifunction support vessels will receive IAI’s Barak-ER missile in a containerised fit. Explaining this decision, Tuinman said: “The SM-2 missile in the version that the Netherlands needs is being discontinued and orders are no longer possible. The new version of this missile, the SM-2 Block IIICU, is not suitable for the fire control of our [ADCF] frigates.”
Three alternative surface-to-air missiles with capabilities comparable to the current SM-2, and suitable for integration with RNLN radar and fire control system were evaluated. According to Tuinman, only IAI’s Barak-ER missile was able to meet the requirement: the Aster missile from MBDA France does not exist in containerised form, while Rafael’s Stunner missile did not fully meet the RNLN requirement.
IAI will also supply a containerised version of its Harop long-range loitering munition for the new vessels. Harop is a human-in-the-loop weapon designed to detect, recognise, acquire, and attack a wide range of high value targets at ranges of several hundred kilometres.
“[This] is the only weapon system available on the market that is sufficiently developed and meets the Dutch requirements in terms of range,” said Tuinman, who added that consideration may be given at a later stage to installing Harop containers on the RNLN’s new Amphibious Transport Ships. As well as coastal suppression in support of amphibious operations, Harop will also afford a precision strike capability against critical targets such as headquarters, artillery or rocket installations, and supply areas.
The EW suite is intended to collect information on radar emitters, jam threat radars, and disrupt control links associated with hostile drones. The selection of missiles, precision munitions and EW equipment from a single manufacturer will simplify integration activities, Tuinman said.
Underwater vehicles/sensors to support surveillance and protection of North Sea infrastructures will be acquired off-the-shelf. Work is underway to see if it will be possible to connect to similar drones already in RNLN service. The multifunction support vessels will also be fitted with above-water sensors to record the activities of suspicious ships for evidence.
As well as augmenting the current fleet, the new multifunction support vessels are also intended to better prepare the RNLN for future operations with uncrewed ships. “The current [autonomous] technology for this is not yet sufficiently developed,” Tuinman told the House of Representatives. “With the new multifunctional support vessels, the navy wants to gain experience in operating with a small crew, as a first step towards unmanned ships.”
“Furthermore,” he continued, “the new vessels are suitable for testing other armament concepts such as defence against drones or for research activities by Dutch knowledge institutes such as TNO and MARIN. A frigate or other naval vessel with an operational task is then no longer needed.”
The budget for the multifunction support vessels is between €250 million and €1 billion. This covers procurement costs, a risk reserve, and operating costs through to 2039.
Tuinman said the D-letter, detailing the results of the procurement preparation phase (D-phase), is planned to go to the House of Representatives in early 2025. Adoption of an existing off-the-shelf design means that the first vessel should be delivered in early 2026. Weapon and equipment payloads should be delivered from 2026 onwards. While Damen will undertake physical integration on the multifaction support vessels, COMMIT will have responsibility for integration with the ACDF command and fire control system.
