After the success in developing the City class Minehunting ships, the Netherlands and Belgium, two neighboring countries under the NATO umbrella, are collaborating again in the procurement of another type of combatant ship, namely the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigate, which is planned to be produced as many as four units with a value of 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion).
According to the procurement letter sent to the Dutch Parliament earlier this week, the frigate will be used to counter various surface and underwater enemy threats. Of the four to be built, two will be handed over to the Royal Netherlands Navy from 2029, while the other two will be handed over to the Belgian Navy in 2030.
Amsterdam originally allocated 1.9 billion euros ($2 billion) for the acquisition, but increased funding by 251 million euros ($274 million) due to additional design requirements for quieter, more shock-resistant frigates. The decision to build four AKS frigates was announced by the Defense Ministers of the two countries on January 13, 2021.
Belgium allocated around 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) for the two frigates, a budget that was slightly higher than the 2018 estimate due to the decision to add more modern weapons and sensors.
According to the Dutch Ministry of Defense, there are several components and weapons that will be installed on the AKS frigate. However, about 40 of them have not been approved. Thales Netherlands will be responsible for integrating the fire control system and radar, which will help the crew decide what weapons will be effective against a particular threat.
The frigates will also feature state-of-the-art sonar, communications and electronic warfare equipment. In terms of armaments, the two countries agreed to equip the warships with a 76 mm gun in the bow, two 40 mm guns and a long-range weapon system to provide 360 degree protection.
The Netherlands – Belgium anti-submarine frigates will also be equipped with RaytheonMk54 torpedoes, Rolling Airframe Missiles, RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 missiles, and anti-ship missiles Naval Strike Missile (NSM) made by Kongsberg, the initial plan is to use anti-ship missiles RGM-84 Harpoon.
Abstracted from several sources, the Dutch-Belgian AKS frigate will have a tonnage of 5,500-6,000 tons. The length of the ship reaches 146 meters and is capable of sailing at a speed of 30 knots.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense said that cooperation on the construction of the AKS frigate would not only save costs, but would also benefit international cooperation. It is planned that each AKS frigate will be manned by 115 personnel.
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