Rewritten – October 2001 HOT NEWS: December 2001

1. Walrus Class Submarines: The four units of the Walrus class were commissioned between 1992 and 1994, so the class remains a fairly modern, capable diesel-electric submarine platform. However, Royal Netherlands Navy (RNlN) planners project that the class will lose its operational edge between 2007 and 2013 unless it receives a substantial modernization package. At this point in time, however, the RNlN has no plans in place to accomplish such an upgrade, and with the current Dutch political and fiscal situation, it is unlikely that any major initiative concerning the Walrus class will be officially discussed until the next elections in May of 2002. The RNlN has done fairly well in the fiscally constrained Dutch fiscal environment, but it has to pick its battles carefully. The De Zeven Provincien class procurement is currently the nation’s biggest defense program, so the Navy is not in a strong position to staff any other major procurements through the Ministry of Defense (where Army and Air Force planners feel they have suffered at the Navy’s expense), or through Parliament. Within Parliament, in particular, the RNlN submarine service is particularly vulnerable. The largest political party in the Netherlands, the PVDA, favors decommissioning the Walrus class and disestablishing the submarine service altogether. Other parties in the current coalition government were able to save the submarine service, but the political environment in the current Parliament is clearly not conducive to supporting any major submarine programs.

Should the political situation in Parliament change in the wake of the 2002 elections, the RNlN will probably initiate a program to manage an upgrade program for the Walrus class. Potential upgrades would include installation of an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) capability, new sonars and combat systems upgrades, and replacement of the current periscopes with non-hull penetrating masts.

2. Karel Doorman Class Frigates: In 1997, all eight ships of the Karel Doorman class (also known as the M class) were fitted with the Thales Nederland SCOUT navigation radar. SCOUT is a Low Probability of Intercept radar with extremely good detection performance characteristics. Tests have shown that SCOUT can detect a small wooden boat at 8nm, a fast patrol boat at 15nm, and a larger ship on the radar horizon.

Press reports stated that in 1988 the RNlN evaluated three new active towed-array sonar (ATAS) systems for possible installation in the Karel Doorman class. These three systems (Allied Signal’s Low Frequency Active Towed Array System (LFATS), STN Atlas Elektronik’s Activated Towed Array Sonar System (ACTAS), and the Thomson Marconi Sonar Combined Active-Passive Towed Array Sonar (CAPTAS)) were evaluated with the intent to purchase four systems in 1999. Thus far, the RNlN is not discussing the project other than to disclose that they are conducting trials with active towed arrays developed by the Dutch electronics lab, TNO-FEL. This would suggest that the RNlN plans to evaluate a domestic solution prior to selecting an ATAS for installation in the Karel Doorman class.

3. Alkmaar (Tripartite) Class Minehunters - RNlN is planning a modernization of the Alkmaar (Tripartite) class, which is referred to as the Project Adaptation Mine (PAM) Project. Initially, the French, Dutch, and Belgian navies planned to modernize all of their Tripartite class minehunters under a joint Capability Upgrade Program (CUP). Towards this end, a Tripartite Staff Requirement Document was signed in February 1994, and a Bureau de Coordination Tripartite (BCT) was established to guide and monitor the Project Definition Phase. However, the RNlN withdrew from the project and embarked upon an indigenous program to upgrade their minehunters using different technologies from those proposed in the CUP.

The program was resurrected in the Defense White Paper 2000 plan, which was released in 1999. The PAM Project is expected to cover all twelve remaining units of the Alkmaar class by 2008, and includes the following upgrades:

· Replace the existing PAP 104 remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) with the STN Atlas Elektroniks Seafox "one-shot" mine disposal system (OSMDS). The German Navy reportedly plans to acquire 1,500 Seafox systems and the RNlN 900.

· Replacement of the existing EVEC-20 plotting table.

· Modernize or replace the existing Thomson Marconi Sonar (TMS) DUBM-21A hull-mounted sonar.

· Acquire and install a self-propelled variable-depth sonar (SVDS).

Thomson Marconi Sonar and STN Atlas Elektronik will both be major contributors to this modernization program.