“Underwater Innovation: Naval Group and RH Marine Elevate Orka-Class Submarines”
Naval Group and RH Marine solidified a partnership on September 25th to facilitate the advancement of the new Orka-class submarines for the Royal Netherlands Navy, signifying a significant milestone in the fulfillment of the Replacement of the Netherlands Submarine Capability (RNSC) project.
Through this partnership, RH Marine will contribute its expertise in platform automation, energy distribution, and integrated system solutions to the RNSC project. With extensive collaborative experience with the Royal Netherlands Navy, RH Marine is poised to play a vital role in ensuring operational excellence and long-term support for the four new Orka-class conventionally powered submarines.
This collaboration strengthens the foundation for sustained Dutch autonomy in submarine maintenance and future upgrades, while fostering enhanced cooperation and knowledge transfer between Dutch and French maritime sectors. An expanding network of Dutch enterprises is joining the RNSC initiative in areas such as hydraulics, energy management, acoustic insulation, composite structures, detection technologies, and filtration systems. By working together in this manner, Naval Group can develop state-of-the-art submarines to meet the requirements of the Royal Netherlands Navy, aligning with the 2024 Industrial Cooperation Agreement (ICA) signed in September 2024 with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
“We truly value the expertise and innovation of RH Marine and eagerly look forward to collaborating to deliver the four new Orka-class submarines to the Royal Netherlands Navy,” stated Mark Donderwinkel, Country Director Netherlands of Naval Group. “Strong Dutch industrial involvement is essential to the success of this project and highlights the importance of sustainable industrial collaboration across Europe.”
“This partnership not only strengthens our alliance with Naval Group but also symbolizes our shared aspiration to equip the Royal Netherlands Navy with innovative and future-oriented solutions,” expressed Koen Staffeleu, Business Unit General Manager Naval of RH Marine. “It reaffirms RH Marine’s role as a reliable partner within the Dutch naval ecosystem.”
