I hope I’m not the only one whom recalls, when Belgium purchased the current frigates second-hand from the Dutch, there were remarks regarding their size: too big for what the Belgian navy does.
a brief history lesson:
First frigate of the Belgian navy, during Cold War times:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wielingen-class_frigate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wielingen-class_frigate)
Displacement: 2.200 tons.
Swap to the (current) Karel Doorman frigates:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_Doorman-class_frigate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_Doorman-class_frigate)
Displacement 3.320 tons. Almost a 50% increase.
Note that we also went from 4 frigates, to 2.
Fast forward to currently:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Submarine_Warfare_Frigate_(Koninklijke_Marine)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Submarine_Warfare_Frigate_(Koninklijke_Marine))
[https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/01/m-frigates-replacement-to-be-known-as-aswf-anti-submarine-warfare-frigate/](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/01/m-frigates-replacement-to-be-known-as-aswf-anti-submarine-warfare-frigate/)
We’re looking at 5.500-6.000 tons water displacement.
We’re well over a 50% increase once again.
Now, we’re focusing on anti-submarine warfare, maybe we can control the costs…
nope:
[https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/06/dutch-mod-clears-path-for-the-m-frigates-replacement-expects-delays/](https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/06/dutch-mod-clears-path-for-the-m-frigates-replacement-expects-delays/)
> “The new frigates are set to fulfill a general purpose role with ASW as its specialty. However, given the limited number of frigates in the Royal Netherlands Navy (six) and Belgian (two) fleets, the Future Surface Combatant are required to excel in all area (air defense, anti surface warfare…).”
Having equipment for everything, requires having sensors for everything, weapon systems for everything,… and drives the cost up high.
In addition, based on online public info, the Belgium version will have 8 Vertical Launch cells, vs 16 for the Dutch… that sounds like shaving of a few cents, to end up with an inferior version.
The ‘core’ role of the frigate, supposedly is anti-submarine warfare.
Yet it has 1 helo for this, and besides that, light torpedoes.
Helos will in the future, become ever more vulnerable: modern submarines are increasingly getting anti-air missiles that they can launch from underneath the water. Helos are relatively easy to shoot down.
At the very least, drones should be developed for anti-submarine warfare; and an ‘anti-submarine’ ship, should carry more than one.
Other options include anti-submarine missiles (in vertical launch cells), or heavier torpedoes (doesn’t have to mean ‘heavy’ torpedo; ‘medium’ torpedoes also exist; standards tend to go 324mm diameter, 400mm, and 533mm; the later being almost purely a submarine weapon).
The Netherlands also tends to look a bit more towards the USA, so expect mostly USA missiles for the ship; rather than European.
Overall however:
I can’t help but think we’d be quite sufficiently served by some corvettes instead.
On the other end, our minesweepers get machineguns as weapons, besides the anti-mine tools.
It feels like the airforce gets the gold-plated option (F35), the Navy now gets their own; and our land force, well… they get 6-wheeled trucks with a machine gun (the French Griffon), and now 8 artillery pieces.
3 comments
The problem are not these frigates or the F-35s, but the lack of general integration. Whatever conflict these ships are purchased for, Belgium won’t fight it alone. So the question really is what capabilities do the Belgian armed forces need.
This is not unique to Belgium. In fact, the whole question of burden sharing is a core question for the EU and NATO. Yet, nothing moves. In the end, the armed forces keep on buying equipment to do everything (barely) on their own. So everyone has some shitty capabilities in everything, but no one excels in anything. No wonder Europe would be lost without the US.
How it should be done (purely exemplary): Belgium should get rid of its navy and ask the Dutch and French to cover that for them. The Germans take over the air force, and Belgium invests heavily in some ground forces. It would be good in this specialty, reduce costs by buying more of the same equipment with less variety, and have much better trained units.
Truth is local militaries don’t make sense anymore. Belgium doesn’t have to protect its coast from France, the UK, or the Netherlands, nor does it have significant overseas interests. National coast guard + EU navy is the future.
I first read this as fridges and I was wondering why the navy was replacing its fridges and how that was news.