14 September 2023
by Richard Scott
The strike-length MK 41 vertical launcher on
De Ruyter
is already capable of accommodating the Tomahawk cruise missile.
(Richard Scott/NAVYPIX)
The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) is moving forward with plans for a proof-of-concept launch of a Tomahawk cruise missile in the Pacific during the second half of 2024.
Work is under way to prepare the De Zeven Provinciën-class air-defence and command frigate (Luchtverdedigings en commandofregat: LCF), HNLMS De Ruyter, to execute a firing trial around September/October 2024 on the Point Mugu Sea Range. The test is intended to gather evidence and inform requirements for a full Tomahawk retrofit to all four of the RNLN’s LCF frigates.
The Netherlands government on 3 April 2023 announced its intention to acquire the Raytheon Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile from the US government to meet a requirement for a long-range maritime strike capability. At that time, State Secretary for Defence Christophe van der Maat said that the Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) was pursuing a series of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases with the US government, and revealed plans for a test launch from an LCF in 2024 or early 2025.
Commander Welmer Veenstra, commanding officer of
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