Kiel loses out

Successor to the Walrus class - procurement decision in the Netherlands in favour of France

It seemed to be on the horizon: the French Naval Group's design prevailed as the successor to the Walrus submarines.

The award decision is provisional, as the current decision in the Council of Ministers still requires parliamentary approval. An initial briefing of the House of Representatives on the decision is planned for 27 March. The review report on the selection decision should be available in May, which will form the basis for the parliamentary debate and the final award decision. The Ministry of Defence would like to sign the contract before July, as the deadlines that began with the preparation of the offer will then expire. In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on rights of use, information security and knowledge sharing as well as other agreements will have to be concluded between the two governments.

With the announcement of the procurement decision by State Secretary Christophe van der Maat, the names of the four boats were also published: "Orca", "Swordfish", "Barracuda" and "Tiger Shark". The first two boats should be available within ten years of signing the supply contract.

As a replacement for the Walrus class, Naval Group has offered its newly developed Barracuda class, which is operated with nuclear propulsion in the French Navy. The diesel-electric variant of the Barracuda class that is being considered for the Netherlands - the first to be built - is known as the Shortfin.

Graphic: defensie.nl

In addition to six mine countermeasure vessels, the Dutch navy will now also receive four French-built submarines. This is nothing remarkable in and of itself, as the best design should be chosen in a selection process. After all, it is about safety for the crew and efficiency in operational use. The operational requirements of the Royal Netherlands Navy were high. Building on the operational profile of the Walrus, the navy of the neighbouring country was committed to worldwide operations.

According to earlier announcements by the ministry, the costs should amount to more than 2.5 billion euros, in press reports to more than 3.5 billion euros. In 2016, Naval Group negotiated the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A variant for Australia for the equivalent of 2.5 billion euros per boat. Australia cancelled this contract in 2021 following a strategic change of direction and differences of opinion with its French partner.

In the eyes of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, the Netherlands has missed an opportunity for European cooperation and standardisation. To put this in context: With the German-Norwegian submarine U212CD and the cooperation in the procurement and operation of submarines with Italy and Portugal, there is a broad cooperation network that enables cost efficiency and optimisation of operational capability. In a statement issued to us, the Kiel-based company regrets that they were not awarded the contract.

Source: Mergener / EsuT