The Council of Ministers Green Lights the Construction of New Frigates
Apr. 04, 2023
(Source: Belgian Minister of Defense; issued April 03, 2023)
(Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com)
The Belgian and Dutch governments on Monday approved the joint construction of four new ASW frigates at a unit cost of about €1 billion, substantially higher than originally estimated. (Dutch Navy image)
BRUSSELS --- On the proposal of the Minister of Defence, Ludivine Dedonder, the Council of Ministers gave the green light to the construction of two anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates for the Belgian Navy. The Dutch Navy will also have two identical ASW frigates built, in order to renew the common fleet from 2029. The construction is part of the cooperation between the Belgian and Dutch Navies, who will replace their fleets together.
The Belgian and Dutch Navies have been closely linked for 25 years and work under a joint chain of command and with a common fleet. Both countries will replace their vessels in the coming years and will work together to achieve this: Belgium is responsible for the purchase of the twelve mine countermeasures vessels - six for each Navy - and the Netherlands is responsible for the purchase four ASW frigates - two for each Navy.
More expensive than expected
The purchase of the two frigates will cost around two billion euros, more expensive than expected in 2018. Part of the additional cost is due to inflation, another part to the decision of the Minister of Defense, Ludivine Dedonder, to fully equip the frigates, both in terms of armament and on-board sensors.
“The initial budget for the replacement of our frigates was not enough to fully equip our ships. The extra cost is significant, but as the responsible minister, I could not afford our navy not to have fully-equipped frigates. With the new mine countermeasures vessels, our Marine Component will be equipped with the best equipment. I applied this same principle for the new frigates. I therefore made sure that our Navy would have the best equipment – identical to that of the Dutch – to carry out its missions,” declared the Minister of Defense, Ludivine Dedonder.
In view of this considerable additional cost, the Netherlands is committed to further strengthening sustainable industrial cooperation between our two countries in the years to come. For example, 355 million euros worth of orders will be placed with Belgian industry. “It was very important to me,” said Minister Dedonder. “Our countries are closely linked to each other, both militarily and industrially. With this commitment, we are further strengthening our ties and we remain, as Belgium and the Netherlands, a model of European cooperation. »
From 2030
The first new frigate will be delivered to the Royal Netherlands Navy at the end of 2029, and the Belgian Navy can expect its first new frigate in the second half of 2030. Then it will be the turn of the Netherlands again and the fourth ASW frigate will arrive at the naval base of Zeebrugge in the second half of 2031.
As their name suggests, the frigates will specialize in anti-submarine warfare. They will be equipped with all the necessary sensors and armament. The frigates are 145 meters long, over 17 meters wide and have a crew of 115. In addition, they can accommodate 35 additional soldiers who can be added to carry out specific missions.
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New Anti Submarine Warfare Frigates in Service from 2029
Apr. 04, 2023
(Source: Netherlands Ministry of Defence; issued April 03, 2023)
(Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com)
THE HAGUE --- Defense is building four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates, two for the Dutch and two for the Belgian navy. Damen Shipbuilding will build the ships, Thales Nederland will provide their integrated radar and fire control system. State Secretary Christophe van der Maat reports this to the House of Representatives today that the Belgian Council of Ministers has approved the purchase.
The ASW frigates replace the current 4 multipurpose frigates (M frigates). The Dutch and Belgian ships have now reached the end of their service life, although they are still deployable. The first frigate is for the Royal Netherlands Navy and should be ready for use in 2029. The second ship goes to Belgium a year later. The two remaining frigates will follow in the following years for the Netherlands and Belgium respectively.
International cooperation
The Netherlands and Belgium are working together on design, acquisition, use and maintenance. This is already happening with the mine countermeasures vessels. This not only saves costs, but also benefits international cooperation.
Van der Maat said: “The new ASW frigates provide an important reinforcement of the Royal Netherlands Navy's striking power. With our cooperation, Belgium and the Netherlands are taking the next step in the field of international defense cooperation. Our countries are at the forefront of this in Europe.”
Industry
For the Dutch industry, the construction of these high-quality ships can provide a stronger international market position. In addition, the business community has a role in the maintenance of the ships. Defense is already preparing for that.
Main mission
The main task of the ASW frigates is remote detection and combat of submarines. This is done, among other things, with the NH90 on-board helicopter. Both the frigate and the helicopter can launch a torpedo to disable or drive off a submarine. This will be the Mk54 torpedo, which will be available in a few years. The ASW frigate is difficult to detect by submarines and can defend itself against torpedo attacks.
The ships will also be equipped with the most modern weapons and sensors. Consider, for example, the Underwater Warfare Suite. This gives the crew timely insight into the submarine threat. But the Naval Strike Missile for surface targets and the ESSM Block 2 for air defense will also be on board.
The Ministry of Defense purchases these and numerous other systems from a total of dozens of different companies. A number of contracts are expected to be signed around this summer. The remaining contracts for these sub-projects will follow this year or at the latest in 2024.
The construction of the 2 ASW frigates involves an investment of approximately € 1.9 billion.
The ASW frigates are robust and capable ships. There is room on board for an 117-person crew. In addition, there is room for 35 people who sail along for specific missions.
Furthermore, the 2 Dutch frigates are named after women who have had a great significance for Dutch freedom. The House passed a motion on this in 2020.
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https://www.defense-aerospace.com/belgium-netherlands-launch-e4-billion-frigate-program/