The Netherlands has formally confirmed an order for France’s F21 Artemis heavy torpedoes from Naval Group, a deal finalized in 2026 to arm the Dutch navy’s next generation of submarines.
The decision had been widely expected in The Hague. The contract was reported by the French defense outlet Mer et Marine, which said the agreement was completed this year.
The F21 Artemis is Naval Group’s current heavyweight torpedo, marketed for submarine warfare and anti-surface engagements, and now set to become part of the Netherlands’ broader effort to modernize an aging undersea fleet.
A concrete export win for Naval Group in undersea weapons
The Dutch signature gives Naval Group a clear commercial success in the competitive market for submarine armaments. The Netherlands joins a growing list of foreign customers seen as potential adopters of the F21—an interest that had already surfaced in export competitions, according to Le Marin[2].
Designed as a long-range heavy torpedo, the F21 Artemis is intended for engagements against both submarines and surface ships. Its selection by the Netherlands fits into a wider modernization program for the Royal Netherlands Navy’s submarine force, with new boats planned to replace older platforms.
France’s F21 becomes a key selling point for French-built submarines
Since entering service with the French Navy, the F21 has become Naval Group’s central argument for customers buying—or considering—French conventional or nuclear submarines.
Naval Group says the torpedo can be fired from Scorpène-class submarine tubes, expanding its potential market to countries that operate that family of boats. The Dutch contract also highlights a broader pitch the company has been pushing internationally: selling not just the submarine platform, but the weapons package that comes with it.
The Netherlands as a strategic customer for France’s naval industry
The Hague’s ties with France’s naval industrial base are not new. The Dutch minehunter Scheveningen recently underwent dry-dock work in Lorient, a sign of sustained technical and industrial links between the two countries[1].
For Naval Group, the Dutch confirmation lands as international submarine programs accelerate—driven, the French reporting says, by European navies building up capabilities amid persistent geopolitical tensions in the North Sea and the Atlantic.
Sources
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