ATS-class amphibious warfare ship
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 Early artist impression
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Amphibious Transport Ship (ATS) |
| Builders | Damen Group |
| Operators |  Royal Netherlands Navy |
| Preceded by | |
| In commission | 2032 onwards |
| Planned | 6 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Amphibious transport dock |
| Length | 150 m (492 ft 2 in) |
| Complement | 60 to 70 crew |
The Amphibious Transport Ship (ATS) is an initiative by the Dutch Navy to procure a series of six amphibious warfare ships as a replacement for the Rotterdam class and Holland class.[1]
History
[edit]In the 2022 Defense spending bill it was announced that at the end of their life cycle the two Rotterdam-class ships will be replaced together with the four ships of the Holland-class to form a new class of 'cross-over' ships with patrol-, amphibious- & emergency relief capabilities in mind.[2]
As of March 2024, this program is still in early development. More details will be released in the B-letter, which is expected in 2025. With the D-letter following in 2027, after which contract signing will take place. The first ship is planned to be in service by 2032, with the next five being commissioned with one year intervals.[1] The intended builder was announced to be the Damen Group.[3]
UK-Dutch cooperation
[edit]In June 2023, the Netherlands and British governments announced that the two countries would "explore opportunities" to jointly develop new specialist amphibious warships.[4]
However, in March 2024, this effort was reportedly abandoned as the two countries identified that their requirements and budgets were too diverent for a single design. Instead they would focus on Anglo-Dutch coordination on subsystems, landing craft, and aviation. With the British continuing with their MRSS program. One key difference was the ships' ability to operate independently without an escort. This was a British preference which would require more substantial self-defence capability.[5][6][7][8]
See also
[edit]- Future of the Royal Netherlands Navy
- NRP D. João II
- San Giorgio-class amphibious transport dock
- Multi-role support ship
Citations
[edit]- ^ a b van der Maat, Christophe (6 March 2024). "A-brief project 'Verwerving Amfibische Transportschepen'" (in Dutch). Ministry of Defence.
- ^ Karremann, Jaime (1 June 2024). "Defensienota: marine wordt iets kleiner en koerswijziging amfibische schepen" (in Dutch). Marineschepen.nl. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ "Scheepsbouwer Damen wederom betrokken bij order voor nieuwe marineschepen" (in Dutch). Nu.nl. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ "UK and Netherlands to explore opportunities around new ships for amphibious operations". Royal Navy. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ Scott, Richard (12 March 2024). "Netherlands outlines national route for new amphibious transport ship class". Janes. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ Karremann, Jaime (9 April 2024). "Amfibische Transportschepen krijgen mogelijk doorlopend dek" (in Dutch). Marineschepen.nl. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ "Royal Navy's Multi Role Support Ship programme to go ahead". Navy Lookout. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ Scott, Richard (27 June 2024). "UK sets its course for MRSS programme". Naval News. Retrieved 29 November 2024.