The Royal Netherlands Navy has received its first Vlissingen-class mine countermeasure vessel under the joint Belgian-Dutch Replacement Mine Countermeasures (rMCM) program. The initiative will deliver 12 next-generation mine warfare ships—six for each country—to replace legacy minehunters by 2030. Designed by Naval Group and integrated with Exail unmanned systems, the vessels deploy surface, underwater, and aerial drones for mine detection and neutralization. Built by Piriou under Kership management, the platform reflects growing European cooperation in naval mine warfare, supported by a 2023 trilateral agreement with France, which will utilize the technology for its SLAM-F mine warfare mothership program.
