De Zeven Provinciën-class

Summary

Description

The De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates are a group of four Dutch air-defense and command frigates in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy, also recognized as "LCF" (Luchtverdedigings- en commandofregat). Their missions revolve primarily around anti-aircraft warfare and command. They share similar roles to the German Sachsen-class frigates and are optimized for such specialized tasks.

In terms of armament and design, the frigates are equipped with the SMART-L long range surveillance radar and the Active Phased Array Radar (APAR) for threat detection and missile guidance. The SMART-L and APAR systems work in tandem, with SMART-L providing D band radar long-range coverage and APAR providing I band radar precision tracking and Interrupted Continuous Wave Illumination (ICWI) guidance for missiles. Their primary anti-aircraft weaponry includes the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile for point defense and the RIM-66 Standard Missile (SM-2) Block IIIA for area defense, housed in the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System with a capacity of 32 missiles of each type.

The operational history of these frigates includes successful anti-ballistic missile defense (BMD) testing. The Royal Netherlands Navy confirmed the BMD capabilities with live firings during a large NATO exercise in 2015. The frigates' SMART-L radar was modified for longer range surveillance, allowing ballistic missile interception in collaboration with other defense assets. By 2018, plans were in place to acquire BMD-capable SM-3 missiles, and the frigates were scheduled to receive an additional 8-cell vertical launch module for these missiles. The De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates also contribute to NATO's missile shield.

Modernization efforts include the introduction of the SMART-L Mk 2 radar for detecting ballistic missiles from extreme distances. APAR's range is also set to increase significantly. By 2024, the frigates' Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile will be upgraded from block 1 to block 2, addressing the growing threat of advanced anti-ship missiles. Additionally, new surface-to-surface missiles will replace the current Harpoon missiles by 2024, and the ships' cannons and Goalkeeper close-in weapon systems will also see enhancements. The acquisition of SM-3 and BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles was mentioned in the Strategic Defence Review 2022.

Though primarily designed for air warfare, these frigates are still equipped for surface and subsurface operations, carrying the RGM-84F Harpoon missile and Mark 46 torpedoes. The Dutch government's 2018 defense study indicated that these ships would also obtain a new surface-to-surface missile. Notably, live missile firing trials have been conducted successfully on multiple occasions, demonstrating the effective guidance capability of the APAR radar. These frigates have participated in counterpiracy operations off the Horn of Africa, with the APAR radar's software being adjusted to improve surface-search performance for such missions.

The design has garnered international interest, with an export proposal submitted for Canada's Single Class Surface Combatant Project by Alion Canada with Damen Group, the frigates' builder. As for the future, the Royal Netherlands Navy has announced a cooperation with the German Navy to develop a joint platform to replace the De Zeven Provinciën and Sachsen-class frigates from 2030-2035.

Technical specifications