Dutch defence ministry, French builder finalise delivery contract for new submarines

The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MOD) and French shipbuilder the Naval Group have finalised the agreement for the delivery of four new submarines to the Royal Netherlands Navy.

The submarines will be known in Dutch service as the Orka-class. They will be diesel-electric powered variants of the nuclear-powered Barracuda-class boats originally developed by the Naval Group for the French Navy.

Each Orka-class submarine 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, accommodation for up to 43 crewmembers, and torpedo and cruise missile armament. The propulsion system on each boat 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. The four new submarines will be named Orka, Zwaardvis ("Swordfish"), Barracuda, and Tijgerhaai ("Tiger Shark").

The preliminary contract for the Orka-class boats was awarded by the MOD to the Naval Group in March 2024, and the subsequent construction award decision made in mid-June was widely supported in the Netherlands' House of Representatives with a large majority of votes.