Defense News

The Netherlands plans to order four new air-defense frigates for more than €3.5 billion (U.S. $3.8 billion) to replace its current fleet, Dutch State Secretary of Defense Christophe van der Maat said in a letter to parliament Friday.

The Dutch Defence Ministry intends to work with local shipbuilder Damen Naval for the naval platform and with Thales for the above-water warfare system, though it still needs to reach agreement with the companies, the government said. The four existing air-defense frigates will be replaced one by one, with the first new vessel expected to be operational in 2036.

The current Zeven Provinciën-class frigates came into service between 2002 and 2005 and would need to be replaced in the 2030s, according to the ministry. In addition, modern weapons such as hypersonic anti-ship missiles and a proliferation of relatively simple systems such as drones have created a growing threat to naval vessels.

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