Tomahawk cruise missile buy for Dutch navy approved by US State Department

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Netherlands of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) and related equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 25 April 2025.

The proposed FMS, which is worth an estimated USD 2.19 billion (EUR 1.92 billion), has been passed to the US Congress for final approval.

The Netherlands has requested to buy up to 163 Tomahawk Block V all up rounds (AURs); 12 Tomahawk Block IV AURs; up to 10 Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control Systems (TTWCSs); and up to two Tomahawk Block IV telemetry missiles. Also included in the package are various non-Major Defense Equipment items; spares, and various aspects of technical, engineering, logistics and programme support.

On 11 March 2025, in a test off the US East Coast, the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) air defence and command frigate (LCF) De Ruyter became the first Dutch warship to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile. That test was used to gather data that will eventually allow all four of the RNLN’s De Zeven Provinciën-class LCFs to be armed with Tomahawk missiles.

The De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates are primarily armed with SM-2 and Evolved SeaSparrow surface-to-air missiles, although they do also carry Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The ships’ Mk 41 Vertical Launch System can accommodate Tomahawk missiles.

In April 2023 the Dutch MoD announced that it had revived plans to arm the De Zeven Provinciën class with Tomahawks to give the frigates a longer-range surface-to-surface capability, stating that “The Tomahawk upgrade of De Zeven Provinciën, Tromp, De Ruyter and Evertsen frigates will take place during their maintenance planned for the 2025-2029 period”.

The latest conventionally armed Block IV/V Tomahawks (TLAM-Cs) have a range exceeding 1,600 km.

The DSCA stated that the proposed sale of TLAMs to the Netherlands “will improve the Netherlands’ capability to meet current and future threats by utilizing long-range, conventional surface-to-surface missiles with significant standoff range that can neutralise growing threats”.

The principal contractor for the FMS will be RTX Corporation out of its facilities in Tucson, Arizona.