The French shipbuilder Naval Group has been awarded a new contract to build four expedition submarines from the Barracuda family for the Dutch Navy. There will also be industrial cooperation.
Gijs Tuinman, Dutch State Secretary for Defence, and Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group, have signed the supply agreement for the “Replacement Netherlands Submarine Capability (RNSC)” program, as announced by the French company.
“This decisive step marks the start of the Orka-class program following the signing of the Industrial Cooperation Agreement (ICA) between Naval Group and the Ministry of Economic Affairs,” it said.
Barracuda newbuildings to replace Walrus class
The Barracuda newbuildings will replace Walrus-class submarines currently operated by the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Gijs Tuinman, Dutch State Secretary for Defense, said: “With the signing of the delivery contract, we officially confirm that the route to new submarines goes through France and the Netherlands. Through the Naval Group, which has extensive experience in building submarines, but also through the Dutch maritime manufacturing industry, which has unique and specialised knowledge.”
Pierre Eric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group, said they were “honoured to have been selected by one of NATO’s most advanced submarine fleet operators”.
Cross-border cooperation agreed
As part of the Barracuda family of submarines, this program is intended to strengthen the strategic capabilities of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Jan Willem Hartman, Commander of COMMIT, said: “A thorough procurement process has shown that Naval Group’s Orka class is the best replacement for the Walrus class submarines. The ‘Orka’, ‘Zwaardvis’, ‘Barracuda’ and ‘Tijgerhaai’ are designed to give the Dutch submarine service an edge in undersea warfare, Hartman added.
The Orka-class program also aims to strengthen the strategic autonomy of the Netherlands and to further deepen the existing cooperation between the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the Netherlands Defence Industrial Base (NL-DTIB) and the Naval Group in the coming decades.
Under this agreement, Naval Group is committed to working with a number of key Dutch companies and knowledge institutes over a period of 20 years. This plan involves Naval Group’s network of Dutch partners in key systems and components and aims to ensure that the Dutch ecosystem develops and maintains expertise and commitment over the entire lifecycle of submarines.
