The Netherlands ordered four submarines of a new type

The Netherlands has selected the French shipbuilding company Naval Group to construct Orka-class next-generation submarines.

The news was published on the Naval Group’s website.

On September 30, Guis Tuinman, Dutch Secretary of State for Defense, and Pierre Eric Pommelle, Naval Group CEO, signed a contract to produce four submarines within the Dutch RNSC program.

The ordered submarines will be named Orka, Zwaardvis, Barracuda, and Tijgerhaai. They will be built at the French company’s shipyards in Cherbourg, and their expected delivery dates are over the next ten years.

The signing of this contract marks the beginning of the replacement of the Walrus submarines, which have been in service with the Royal Navy for the past 30 years.

Swedish Saab Kockums and German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems also participated in the Dutch tender held in January this year.

One of the key factors in choosing Naval Group was signing an industrial cooperation agreement. As part of it, the French company pledged to involve Dutch companies in supplying key systems and components, thus guaranteeing the development of the local defense industry and the country’s independence in further servicing the boats.

According to preliminary information, the total involvement of the Dutch defense industry and technological institutes in the construction of four submarines will reach approximately EUR 1 billion. The Netherlands will contribute hydraulics, climate, acoustics, reconnaissance, sonar, composite materials, and drinking water production technologies.

Orka-class submarines

Orka submarines will be developed on the basis of the latest French nuclear submarine project Barracuda, but will receive an alternative diesel-electric propulsion system. The future submarines will have a displacement of 3,300 tons, a hull length of 82 meters, and a width of 8.2 meters.

The crew will consist of 35 to 43 sailors, depending on the type of task. The vessel’s total capacity will be 59 people, including Special Operations Forces soldiers.

For the latter, Orka will be equipped with underwater amphibious assault systems, a Dry Deck Shelter, which will allow a unit of ten soldiers or a PSM3G underwater vehicle to be launched in the underwater position at a time.

The submarines will be equipped with six 533mm torpedo tubes with a 30-round ammunition package. The original submarines of the French project are carriers of such systems:

• F21 Artémis super-heavy torpedoes;
• MdCN cruise missiles;
• Exocet SM39 mod2 anti-ship missiles;
• A3SM (VL MICA) surface-to-air missiles;
• FG29 mines.

According to Tuinman, the Dutch Ministry of Defense plans to purchase American Tomahawk cruise missiles for its Orka submarines.