The Netherlands plans to acquire a hard-kill anti-torpedo system, new armoured vehicles, and a new service rifle within the scope of a multi-service plan.

Defense News reported that the Netherlands is planning on improving the torpedo defence capabilities of its warships, strengthening its armoured fleet, and replacing the C7/C8 service rifles to be retired. The Dutch Minister of Defence Gijs Tuinman’s letter foresees a $1.65 billion spending on the new acquisitions.

Hard-Kill Anti-Torpedo for Dutch Warships

The hard-kill anti-torpedo defence to be developed in a consortium will be first fitted on the anti-submarine warfare frigates of the Dutch Navy, with submarines and amphibious vessels to come later.

The Dutch Navy expects to acquire the hard-kill system starting in 2029, a year after a production-ready model becomes ready.

Germany and Italy are known to be working on hard-kill solutions against incoming torpedoes, which carry enough explosive payload to deal with extensive structural damage to ships, extending to the breaking of the hull.

Alternatively, these hard-kill systems might be utilised to engage enemy UUVs, which are becoming a common sight in navies alongside USVs, mostly for underwater ISR purposes.

New Armoured Vehicles

Gijs Tuinman’s letter also includes 42 CV90 tracked armoured vehicles of unspecified model. The vehicles are likely going to be in IFV configuration, which can use main guns of various calibres, including 30 mm, 35 mm, and 40 mm (Bofors). This assumption can be credited to the fairly low amount of vehicles and the overall timeframe of acquisitions. APC or other mildly combatant configurations of the same vehicle are cheaper and faster when it comes to manufacturing.

New Service Rifle

The Netherlands will replace its C7 and C8 service rifles from Canada. C7 and C8 are derivatives of the AR15 platform and very similar to M4/M16 service rifles used by many NATO members around the world.

Candidates may include but are not limited to German HK416 or HK443, Czech CZ BREN, and Italian ARX160 from EU countries. At the same time, the U.S. might offer SIG Sauer’s MCX family with an AR15 platform or SCAR having low probability.

Author: Kaan Azman

Editor: Özgür Ekşi