Dutch frigate fires first Tomahawk missile

The Royal Netherlands Navy frigate "De Ruyter" test-fired a Tomahawk cruise missile off the coast of Norfolk/Virginia on 12 March 2025 before the missile system is put into service in the Netherlands.

With this test, the navy is gathering the necessary information to fire the Tomahawks from the four air defence and commando frigates of the De Zeven Provinciën class, according to the Dutch Ministry of Defence. This will give the Royal Netherlands Navy additional combat power. This will help to deter potential opponents if strategic targets deep inland can be eliminated. Depending on the version, the cruise missiles have a range of up to 2,500 kilometres.

The four De Zeven Provinciën class frigates will be replaced by four new air defence frigates from 2036, with the Tomahawk capability expected to be transferred to the new frigates. Outside of the United States, only the United Kingdom currently operates Tomahawk missiles.

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has left it open as to whether the Tomahawks will also be fitted to the three remaining Walrus-class submarines (2,800 tonnes submerged). From 2034, they are to be replaced by four boats of the Orka class (over 4,000 tonnes submerged), a diesel-electric variant of the French Suffren class (5,300 tonnes submerged, also known as the Barracuda class). However, France and the United States may have proprietary and technological restrictions on the integration of Tomahawk missiles into the Orka class.

Perhaps not a good deal under the current US administration after all. This currently applies to all US weapons and systems, including the German F35 fighter aircraft.

kdk, USNI News