Dutch defence ministry selects French design for replacement submarines

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has awarded French shipbuilder the Naval Group a preliminary contract for the design and construction of new expeditionary submarines for the Royal Netherlands Navy.

The submarines will be diesel-electric powered variants of the nuclear-powered Barracuda-class boats originally developed by the Naval Group for the French Navy.

The four submarines to be built by the Naval Group will be known as the Orka-class in Dutch service. Each will have a displacement of 3,300 tonnes, a length of 82 metres, a hull diameter of 8.2 metres, a range of 15,000 nautical miles, space for up to 43 crewmembers, and torpedo and cruise missile armament.

The propulsion system will also include lithium-ion batteries.

The Orka-class submarines will replace the Royal Netherlands Navy’s ageing Walrus-class boats, which were originally designed in the late 1980s.