UK Shipyards to Build Dutch-Designed Drone-Ready Warships in £2.4bn NATO Deal to Boost Fleet

British shipyards are set to build a new fleet of Dutch-designed amphibious warships after the UK and the Netherlands signed a £2.4 billion defence partnership during the NATO summit in Ankara. The agreement will see eight next-generation vessels constructed in the UK, with four allocated to the Royal Navy and four to the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced the partnership on Tuesday, saying the programme would strengthen cooperation between the two countries while supporting hundreds of skilled jobs in Britain's shipbuilding industry. The ships will be based on an existing Dutch amphibious ship design, while construction and assembly will take place in British shipyards.

The vessels are designed to operate alongside long-range drones and other uncrewed systems while transporting troops and equipment during amphibious operations. The agreement also expands long-standing military cooperation between the two NATO allies as they seek to modernise their amphibious forces and improve protection of critical maritime infrastructure.

Eight Ships to Be Built in Britain

Each of the eight amphibious transport ships will measure around 160 metres in length and displace approximately 15,000 tonnes. The vessels are designed to carry Royal Marines, military vehicles and heavy equipment during deployments, while flight decks and internal hangars will support both current and future long-range drones.

The UK government said the programme is expected to support hundreds of skilled jobs across Britain's shipbuilding industry. The agreement also establishes a framework for closer cooperation on autonomous and uncrewed maritime technology, including future joint development between the two navies.

The project follows a similar UK-Norway agreement announced earlier this year under which five Type 26 frigates will be built in British shipyards for the Royal Norwegian Navy, supporting around 4,000 UK jobs.

Supporting a More Modern Royal Navy

The new ships also form part of the Ministry of Defence's wider Defence Investment Plan, which aims to modernise the Royal Navy by combining conventional warships with uncrewed technologies.

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said operating identical amphibious ships would allow British and Dutch forces to train and deploy more closely together while improving interoperability during NATO operations.

Operating the same class of ships is expected to make it easier for British and Dutch forces to train together, deploy jointly and develop future autonomous maritime technologies.

Expanding NATO Cooperation

The partnership builds on more than 50 years of cooperation through the UK-Netherlands Amphibious Force, Europe's longest-running integrated amphibious military partnership. Government ministers said the new fleet would strengthen that relationship while improving NATO's ability to respond more quickly during international crises.

Protecting undersea communications cables, energy infrastructure and other critical maritime assets has become an increasing priority for NATO allies in recent years. The UK and the Netherlands said the new partnership would support those efforts while expanding cooperation between their armed forces.

Announcing the agreement, Starmer said combining British shipbuilding with Dutch naval design would strengthen the long-standing defence relationship between the two countries. The agreement was signed during the NATO summit in Ankara as member states continue increasing investment in defence and maritime security.