Netherlands redeploys HNLMS Evertsen air defense frigate to protect French carrier strike group.

The Netherlands is examining the redeployment of the air defense frigate HNLMS Evertsen to the eastern Mediterranean. The ship could support the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group following a request from France.

The Dutch government is examining whether the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS Evertsen should join the French Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean to provide air defense and escort missions. The ship has already sailed toward the Mediterranean while the cabinet and parliament review the potential redeployment following a request from France, amid regional tensions linked to Iranian attacks.
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Within task group operations, the Zr.Ms. Evertsen air defense frigate protects other vessels at short and medium ranges while maintaining situational awareness across a large airspace sector. (Picture source: Dutch MoD)

On March 4, 2026, the Dutch government announced that it is examining the possibility of deploying the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate Zr.Ms. Evertsen in the eastern Mediterranean in response to regional tensions linked to Iranian attacks on neighboring countries. The announcement was communicated to the House of Representatives by Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius and Foreign Affairs Minister Berendsen. The Netherlands received a French request on March 3 asking that the frigate support the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group following its redeployment in the eastern Mediterranean. The requested mission focuses on defensive tasks, mainly contributing to the protection of the carrier and its accompanying naval formation.

Both ships previously operated together in a broader carrier strike group during readiness exercises conducted in the Baltic Sea. The Dutch cabinet indicated that a decision will be taken in the near term and that parliament will be informed once the assessment is complete. While the political process continues, the Zr.Ms. Evertsen has already begun sailing toward the Mediterranean Sea alongside the French carrier. The Zr.Ms. Evertsen, also known as the HNLMS Evertsen (F805), is the fourth air defense and command frigate of the De Zeven Provinciën-class operated by the Royal Netherlands Navy. The ship was laid down on September 6, 2001, launched on April 19, 2003, and entered service in June 2005.

Full load displacement reaches 6,050 tonnes, while the hull measures about 144 meters in length with a beam of about 18 meters and a draught slightly above 5 meters. Propulsion relies on a combined diesel or gas arrangement integrating two Wärtsilä 16 V26 diesel engines and two Rolls-Royce Spey SM 1C gas turbines. Power is transmitted through two shafts driving controllable pitch propellers, allowing maximum speeds close to 28 to 30 knots depending on configuration. Crew size normally ranges between 169 and 174 personnel, rising to more than 200 when command staff and aviation elements are embarked. The ship can operate one NH90 NFH maritime helicopter from its flight deck and hangar facilities. 

The De Zeven Provinciën-class was built by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and includes four air defense and command frigates commissioned between 2002 and 2005. These ships were designed to provide area air defense to naval formations and also to function as command ships with facilities for an embarked staff. Construction of the four vessels represented an investment of €1.9 billion for the Netherlands. Each vessel integrates long-range surveillance radars, missile launch systems, and command infrastructure intended to coordinate defense against aircraft, cruise missiles, and other aerial threats. Within task group operations, the ships protect other vessels at short and medium ranges while maintaining situational awareness across a large airspace sector.

The ships can also conduct anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and maritime security missions when required. Accommodation capacity reaches about 207 personnel, including aviation detachments and command staff. The ship’s sensor suite centers on the Thales SMART-L long-range surveillance radar combined with the APAR active phased array radar. The SMART-L operates in the L band and can detect patrol aircraft at distances up to 400 km while identifying low-observable missile targets at about 65 km. A later extended long-range configuration increases ballistic missile detection capability to more than 2,000 km. The APAR radar, for its part, uses four fixed electronically scanned arrays and tracks more than 200 aerial targets at distances up to 150 km while also monitoring more than 150 surface contacts.

The APAR can simultaneously guide up to 32 semi-active radar homing missiles in flight and maintain 16 of them in terminal guidance phases. Additional sensors include the Sirius infrared search and track system for long-distance infrared detection and the Mirador optical observation system. Underwater detection is handled by an Atlas Elektronik DSQS-24C hull-mounted sonar. Air defense weapons on the Zr.Ms. Evertsen frigate are centered on a Mk 41 vertical launching system (VLS) containing 40 cells arranged in five modules. The launcher can fire SM-2 surface-to-air missiles with engagement ranges between 74 km and 170 km, depending on flight profile and target parameters. The ship also carries Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSMs) for shorter-range interception of aircraft and anti-ship missiles. ESSM missiles can be loaded four per launcher cell, increasing the number of interceptors available during engagements.

Missile guidance relies on APAR radar illumination and command guidance during mid-course flight. The ship also carries eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles for surface engagements. Anti-submarine warfare capability includes two twin torpedo launchers firing Mk 46 torpedoes with a range of up to 11,000 m. Gun armament consists of a 127 mm naval gun originally based on the Otobreda 127/54 system and later replaced by the Otobreda 127/64 lightweight gun. The 127/64 weapon can fire conventional 127 mm ammunition with effective ranges around 30 km and guided Vulcano projectiles reaching between 70 km and 120 km. The rate of fire reaches 32 rounds per minute, and shell mass ranges from 29 kg to 31 kg.

For close defense, the ship carries two Goalkeeper close-in weapon systems (CIWS) using the GAU-8 seven-barreled 30 mm rotary cannon. Each CIWS fires up to 4,200 rounds per minute and engages incoming missiles or aircraft at distances between 350 m and 1,500 to 2,000 m, depending on ammunition type. The system’s reaction time against a sea-skimming missile approaching at Mach 2 is about 5.5 seconds from detection to destruction. Additional protection includes Browning M2 12.7 mm machine guns and FN MAG 7.62 mm machine guns positioned on deck. Throughout its operational career, the Evertsen frigate has taken part in several multinational naval operations.

In 2007, for instance, the vessel operated with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and assisted during an emergency following a volcanic eruption on the island of Jabal al-Tair in the Red Sea, rescuing two people from the water after a request from the Yemeni coast guard. From February to June 2008, the ship protected vessels chartered by the World Food Programme against piracy off the coast of Somalia. In 2009, the frigate served as flagship during Operation Atalanta and escorted merchant shipping through piracy-affected waters in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. During that period, Dutch naval forces captured a group of pirates suspected of attacking the merchant ship BBC Togo. These missions combined maritime security operations with command roles inside multinational naval formations.

The frigate has also been integrated into aircraft carrier strike groups and multinational naval task forces. In October 2020, the vessel joined exercises with the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of the GROUPEX and Joint Warrior training activities. In 2021, the ship deployed with the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group for a 26,000 nautical mile mission to the Asia Pacific region. The deployment included operations in the Mediterranean Sea followed by transit through the Suez Canal toward India, Singapore, and the South China Sea before reaching Japan. Some ships of the group, including Evertsen, later conducted visits to the Black Sea during the mission. During that phase, Russian aircraft conducted simulated attack passes against the frigate. A fire incident occurred on board on August 29, 2024, during maintenance work in Den Helder, but was limited to a generator exhaust pipe and caused minimal damage.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.