This is what the future military ships of the Dutch Navy will look like
All the details on the future ships of the Dutch Navy
It is Wednesday 6 March when the Dutch Ministry of Defense announces that it has issued a so-called "A-brief" (i.e. the first formal act required by the specific procedures of that country) for the acquisition of a new class of units defined “amphibious transport ships”; obviously intended for the Dutch Navy. An important step, because in this way this program is officially launched, intended to put new platforms into service which, and this is the important aspect, will have operational requirements and general characteristics that are particular to say the least.
A quick clarification, the originality of this program is actually not a surprise. In fact, for some time the Dutch Navy itself had anticipated its intentions, at the same time providing the first elements of information on the direction it wanted to follow; direction which already then, it was the end of 2022, had nevertheless aroused a certain surprise. And the reason is easy to say.
WHAT DOES THE DUTCH NAVY WANT
In fact, the choice made presents an element of great novelty. Faced with the future need to replace the 2 amphibious units of the Rotterdam class and the 4 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) of the Holland class currently in service, i.e. 2 very different types of platforms, the Dutch Navy chooses an approach " radical"; that is, these 6 units will be replaced by as many ships which however will be of a single type.
Radical but well-conceived approach, because as regards the Rotterdam class landing ships, the fact is highlighted that they are large platforms and therefore demanding from a logistical point of view (as well as more vulnerable). Hence the choice to create smaller but more numerous ones, better able to respond to the modern doctrines of amphibious operations; which refer to actions or raids that require the deployment of relatively light forces, which operate in a more rapid and dispersed manner in space to reduce their own logistical impact, as well as to increase their level of security/survival.
The stance on the topic of OPV replacement is even more drastic; bluntly defined as useless in current operational contexts, characterized as they are by a level of significant threat which units of this kind (i.e. with modest combat capabilities) are unable to cope with. Making them, in fact, almost useless in real war scenarios.
The fact that the replacement of the Rotterdam and the Holland is expected in the same time frame and that the choice of a single type of platform allows savings on the purchase as well as on training and maintenance/logistical support during their operational life , did the rest; definitively convincing the Dutch Navy itself that taking it was the best choice.
Two other important elements then emerged during this sort of "presentation" by the Ministry of Defense in Amsterdam. The first is that the future "amphibious transport ships" will be put into service starting from 2032, initially replacing the 2 units of the Rotterdam class, and later the OPVs of the Holland class; with the program set to end in 2038 at a cost (very approximate at present) of between €1 and €2.5 billion. Even if it seems reasonable to hypothesize right now that we will go much closer to the high part of the cost range than to the low one.
The other aspect, which is also already known and reiterated on the occasion, is the collaboration with the United Kingdom. In fact, London is also thinking about the development of a new class of amphibious ships and for this reason it has signed an agreement with the Netherlands; it, however, does not aim at the creation of identical platforms (the Royal Navy in fact has different needs, especially in terms of size) but rather at the joint purchase of subsystems, various components/equipment, propulsion systems and internal parts of the ship made in a modular way. A solution therefore useful for further reducing costs but also for increasing the historic interoperability between the Dutch Korps Mariners and the British Royal Marine Commandos; that is, the amphibious forces of the 2 countries.
WHAT THE NEW SHIPS WILL BE LIKE
Although, as we have seen, there are still a few years left until we will see these new ships born and, therefore, much still needs to be decided, an already known element provides some important clues. In fact, the Dutch shipyards Damen will build them and this means that several analysts have focused their attention on one of the proposals of these same shipyards; more precisely on a family of platforms called Enforcer which, starting from a single basic design, then offers ships with different dimensions, characteristics and capabilities.
Specifically, the most suitable version would seem to be the Enforcer 12026; the youngest in the family; 120 meters long by 26 meters wide and displacing 9,000 tons. The crew is just 90 men while the landing force hosted on board can vary between 200 and 270 soldiers, depending on the duration of the mission.
The unit has a floodable dock to accommodate various landing craft (from larger ones for the transport of the heaviest vehicles/aircraft, to smaller fast assault boats for the transport of personnel); there are also 2 gantry cranes for launching light landing craft. The flight deck has 2 landing and take-off spots while the unit also has a hangar for the storage of 1 or 2 NH-90 medium helicopters and/or UAVs (i.e., “drones”).
Inside the Enforcer 12026 there are also large spaces available for stowing the landing force's vehicles, materials and ammunition; as well as rooms dedicated to the Command and Control function of operations, plus a hospital area with important equipment. The propulsion system is composed of 2 diesel engines which power the same number of electric motors; the maximum speed is indicated as 18 knots with a range of 8,000 miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots, while the operational range (with crew and landing force on board) is approximately 30 days.
Interesting fact, in addition to the possibility of installing a suite of sensors and communication, command and control systems suited to the unit's task, the set of weapon systems that can be placed on the ship; unusual for an amphibious unit but perfectly compliant with the missions envisaged by the Dutch Navy. There is talk of a 76/62 mm cannon, 2 30 mm cannons, a RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) point defense missile system, plus a series of countermeasures to counter anti-ship missiles.
In conclusion, it is worth reiterating once again the originality of the choice made by the Dutch Navy; even a courageous choice which, objectively, requires reflection for other countries too. On the role and future characteristics of amphibious ships, on how amphibious operations themselves may change and on which platforms (specifically, OPVs) it may not make sense to invest in the future.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/ecco-come-saranno-le-future-navi-militari-della-marina-olandese/ on Mon, 11 Mar 2024 10:56:35 +0000.