Tomahawk Missile Successfully Fired By Dutch Frigate

Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS De Ruyter has become the first Dutch vessel to fire a Tomahawk missile.

The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the successful test firing took place from the De Zeven Provinciën-class vessel on Tuesday. It was carried out off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, in collaboration with a defence project team from the U.S. Navy.

As per the MoD press statement: “The navy is gathering necessary information. This will eventually allow it to fire Tomahawks from the air defence and command frigates.”

The missiles have a range of more than 1,000 kilometres and enable sea vessels to strike land targets deep inside hostile territory.

In 2023 the Dutch MoD confirmed it had ordered both ship-launched and submarine-launched versions of the Tomahawk. 

Initially only American and British forces fielded the missile. Australia joined that list in December 2024 when Royal Australian Navy (RAN) destroyer HMAS Brisbane conducted its first test-firing off the west coast of the United States in a test area close to San Diego, California.

Australia is eventually set to acquire more than 200 Tomahawks, to be deployed in its Hobart-class destroyers and future platforms, including Virginia-class submarines and possibly also Hunter-class frigates.

Japan is also seeking to acquire the Tomahawk; in late 2023  the US State Department approved a potential sale of up to 400 missiles at an estimated cost of $2.35 billion. The Royal Canadian Navy’s new River-class destroyers may also be equipped with the missile.

• You can read more details about the test on the Dutch Navy website