The Netherlands wants a brand-new long‑range cruise missile, designed and built on Dutch soil, with a first concept on the table in just six months. The goal is nothing less than a local counterpart to the American Tomahawk – not a clone, but a cheaper, leaner weapon that restores control over supply and strategy.
A six‑month challenge that sounds like a moonshot
At the NEDS defence trade show in Rotterdam on 20 November 2025, Dutch Secretary of State for Defence Gijs Tuinman laid out a blunt message to industry: stop waiting for deliveries from abroad and start building at home.
The Dutch government wants a national, long‑range cruise missile concept ready in six months, backed by multi‑year orders if it works.
The backdrop is a missile market stretched to breaking point. Russia’s war in Ukraine, rising tensions in the Middle East and Asia, and rearmament across NATO have created a queue for high‑end munitions.
Big powers such as the United States and the UK get priority. Smaller countries, including the Netherlands, often see their orders delayed, cut back, or reshaped to fit what manufacturers can spare.
That is pushing The Hague toward an uncomfortable conclusion: if you want reliable access to precision strike at long range, you may need to build it yourself.
What the Dutch missile must actually do
Tuinman’s demand is ambitious, but not vague. The Netherlands wants a missile capable of striking deep behind enemy lines, in situations where drones fall short on range, survivability, or payload.
The requirement is for a “simple, robust, modern” cruise missile: not luxurious, but good enough to hit distant, defended targets at a price mid‑sized nations can live with.
Key features on the Dutch wishlist
- Long range: roughly 500 to 1,000 km, enough to hit strategic targets from safe standoff distances.
- High precision: modern guidance using GPS, inertial systems and likely infrared imaging for terminal accuracy.
- Cost control: a unit price targeted around €0.5–1 million, far below most Western equivalents.
- Ease of production: based on existing components, with a streamlined production line that Dutch factories can handle.
- Modular launch: compatible with surface warships and potentially coastal or ground launchers.
Tuinman is not asking Dutch firms to match every sophisticated trick of the American Tomahawk. He wants a “rustic” but deadly system that Europe can actually afford and receive on time.
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Buying Tomahawks today, designing their successor tomorrow
This push for a homegrown missile does not mean the Dutch Navy is turning its back on the United States. Quite the opposite. Earlier in 2025, The Hague locked in a major order from Washington.
The deal covers 163 Tomahawk Block V and 12 older Block IV missiles, at an estimated cost of around $2.19 billion. These will be fired from the vertical launch cells (Mk 41) on De Zeven Provinciën‑class frigates. A first live test from the frigate Zr.Ms. De Ruyter already took place in March in cooperation with the US Navy.
With a range beyond 1,500 km, the Tomahawk gives the Royal Netherlands Navy an immediate capability for deep naval strikes. That means Dutch ships can hit targets far inland without crossing coastlines, a key argument for NATO planning in Europe’s crowded airspace.
There is a catch, though. The submarine‑launched version of the Tomahawk, the UGM‑109, is no longer in production. Restarting an entire manufacturing line just for Dutch submarines would be eye‑wateringly expensive. So the Netherlands needs another option beneath the waves.
The European alternative for Dutch submarines
JSM‑SL: Norway’s missile, Dutch submarines
For its future Orka‑class submarines, the Netherlands is betting on a different missile: the Joint Strike Missile – Submarine Launched (JSM‑SL), a Norwegian design adapted to fire from torpedo tubes.
This cruise missile will offer more than 300 km of range, flying at low altitude to stay under radar coverage. Its guidance blends GPS, an inertial navigation system, infrared imaging and passive radiofrequency sensors, helping it home in on ships or land targets even in jammed environments.
The JSM‑SL is expected to be integrated around 2032 on Dutch submarines, giving them a modern, stealthy strike option that does not depend on US supply lines.
Put together, the Dutch strategy looks layered:
Tomahawks for immediate surface‑ship strike, JSM‑SL for future submarines, and a national missile to reduce long‑term dependence on foreign suppliers.
Why the Tomahawk still dominates the conversation
The Tomahawk remains the gold standard for Western cruise missiles. Around 5.5 metres long and weighing about 1,300 kg, it uses a Williams F107 turbofan engine to cruise at around 880 km/h, hugging the terrain to evade radar.
Its 450 kg warhead can demolish hardened command centres, air defence sites, or critical infrastructure. Guidance is layered: GPS, inertial navigation, and terrain and image comparison systems such as TERCOM and DSMAC. It can adjust its route mid‑flight, loiter over an area before striking, and even be retargeted after launch.
Since its combat debut in the Gulf War in 1991, the Tomahawk has been fired in conflicts from the Balkans to Iraq, Syria and Libya. It has become the textbook first‑night weapon for US operations, sent in to shred enemy radars, command bunkers and air bases without risking pilots.
The problem for countries like the Netherlands is price and availability. With unit costs around €2 million and a production line under pressure, it is a powerful tool, but also a bottleneck.
How the Dutch concept compares to other long‑range missiles
| Model | Country | Range | Speed | Guidance | Launch | Estimated price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomahawk Block V | United States | ~1,600 km | ~880 km/h | GPS, inertial, terrain and image matching | Vertical launch cells | ~€2 million |
| JSM‑SL | Norway | 300+ km | Subsonic | GPS, INS, infrared, passive RF | Submarine torpedo tubes | ~€1 million |
| Dutch cruise missile (project) | Netherlands | ~500–1,000 km (target) | Subsonic | GPS, inertial, likely IR | Modular naval launch | ~€0.5–1 million (target) |
| MdCN | France | ~1,000 km | ~880 km/h | GPS, INS, imaging IR | Vertical launch cells, submarine tubes | ~€3 million |
Betting on exports and European demand
Tuinman has been clear that this would not be a boutique weapon for Dutch use alone. The Ministry of Defence sees a chance to create a product that fits a much wider European gap.
Countries like Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain all face pressure to field more long‑range munitions. Many want NATO‑compatible missiles that integrate with common launchers and command systems, but without the premium price tag and long waits that often come with buying American.
If the Dutch missile works, it could become a go‑to option for mid‑tier European navies seeking standoff strike without US strings attached.
That would also shift the Netherlands into a very exclusive club: nations that do not just buy cruise missiles, but design, build and export them. In sovereignty terms, this is about far more than one weapon system. It is about shaping defence policy instead of adapting to someone else’s production schedule.
What “long‑range precision strike” really means in practice
For non‑specialists, some of the jargon can sound abstract. A few terms sit at the heart of this Dutch bet:
- Cruise missile: a guided weapon that flies like a small, pilotless aircraft, usually at low altitude, using wings and a jet engine.
- Standoff range: the distance that allows a ship or aircraft to launch a weapon without entering the enemy’s main air defence bubble.
- Inertial navigation system (INS): a guidance method that measures motion and rotation internally, using gyros and accelerometers.
- Imaging infrared (IR): a sensor that compares the heat signature of a target area to a stored reference image for precise final guidance.
In a crisis scenario in the Baltic or North Sea, for instance, a Dutch frigate armed only with short‑range missiles would have to approach hostile shores or fleets, risking air and missile attacks. Equipped with 800 km‑range cruise missiles, the same ship could fire from well outside the main danger zone, supporting NATO ground forces or striking radar sites without crossing a maritime boundary.
Risk comes in another form too: escalation. Long‑range missiles can be interpreted as strategic tools, especially when they can hit deep inland. European states are therefore trying to balance deterrence and signalling. A relatively affordable, conventional‑only Dutch missile, tightly embedded in NATO planning, might be seen as less destabilising than buying more exotic, dual‑use systems.
For Dutch industry, the challenge cuts both ways. Success would mean high‑value jobs, new technology spin‑offs in fields like materials, propulsion and guidance, and a stronger voice in European defence projects. Failure, or a design that overruns its budget and schedule, would raise awkward questions about whether small states should even attempt such programs on their own.
That tension is exactly what makes Tuinman’s six‑month demand so striking. The clock is ticking for Dutch engineers to prove that a mid‑sized European country can still set ambitious goals in missile technology – and not just wait patiently at the back of the queue for someone else’s Tomahawks.