The United Kingdom and the Netherlands will procure eight new amphibious transport ships under a £2.4 billion agreement signed on 7 July 2026, giving both navies renewed capacity to move troops, vehicles, drones, and autonomous systems into contested littoral areas. The programme matters because it strengthens NATO’s ability to project force from the sea at a time when amphibious mobility, distributed operations, and rapid reinforcement are becoming central to European deterrence. Each navy will receive four ships based on a Dutch design, with the vessels expected to measure around 160 metres and displace about 15,000 tonnes. Their mix of payload, endurance, aviation support, and unmanned-system capacity will give the UK and the Netherlands a more flexible amphibious platform for crisis response, coastal operations, and allied reinforcement missions. Read more...
The future UK and Dutch Amphibious Transport Ships will provide NATO with a common capability to transport troops, vehicles, equipment and unmanned systems during amphibious and littoral operations. The final ship design has not yet been officially disclosed; the image shows a Damen Naval concept (Picture source: Damen Naval).