Alutech Littoral Assault Craft to enable Dutch Marine raids

The Dutch Marine Corps is working on a new doctrine that will focus on littoral raids aimed at disrupting adversary air defence networks. New Littoral Assault Craft from Alutech will be critical enablers. 

Finland’s Marine Alutech is set to provide new landing craft for the Dutch Marine Corps under a contract announced on October 15. Working quickly, the company is expected to deliver the new Littoral Assault Craft between 2026 and 2028 to replace the existing fleet of Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel. 

“The Littoral Assault Craft has been designed by Marine Alutech to support the Marine Corps’ new doctrine, known as Force Design. This concept enables the simultaneous landing of marines and their equipment from amphibious transport ships positioned further offshore,” the press release states. 

Simultaneously the Royal Netherlands Navy is undergoing a fleet modernisation and Alutech states that the new assault craft is designed to be compatible with both existing and future amphibious transport ships. 

The company has received multiple orders from NATO states recently, including an order from Sweden for its Watercat vessels, which will also replace an aging fleet of amphibious transport boats. Those deliveries are also set to be completed by 2028, indicating a busy period for the company’s production line. 

The Littoral Assault Craft and the Dutch Marines

Since 2014, the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps has been undergoing a sweeping, ambitious transformation. The goal? To forge a very high readiness, littoral raiding force capable of swift, surgical strikes from the sea. Supporting this, the Royal Netherlands Navy is expected to receive six new amphibious ships from 2032 that will replace its two existing landing platform dock (LPD) ships and four OPVs. It is expected that the new amphibious ships will be smaller than the existing LPDs, requiring a lighter logistical footprint to sustain them. 

This overhaul is seeing the Marine corps restructure into three new, special-operations-capable Marine Combat Task Groups (MCTGs) a recent report from RUSI explains. These groups will be organised into specialised strike and reconnaissance squadrons. Crucially, each MCTG will maintain a Marine Spearhead Task Unit on constant, rapid standby for crisis response anywhere in the world.

The new MCTG doctrine is centered on a powerful, integrated mix of attack capabilities. This includes indirect attack from precision-guided rockets, loitering munitions, and precision-guided mortars, fused with direct-attack options like sniping and extended-range anti-armour missiles. Furthermore, it’s expected the MCTGs will be able to summon long-range, maritime precision fires, including loitering munitions launched from the multi-mission support ships.

When deployed, the squadrons are designed to be self-sufficient for seven days. Additional logistic and medical teams from the Marine Support Group can provide a two-day supply boost or prolonged field care. For any operation continuing past this initial phase, resupply will be a crucial feature: replenishment will be brought from a distant sea base by surface and air assets, including uncrewed systems, to multiple coastal access points, effectively restarting the seven-day operational cycle. Some of these operations are likely to take place around Norway, which has a rugged coastline that is well-suited to vessels hugging the coast to avoid detection. 

Calibre comment: Marines as a counter A2/AD asset

Marines and special forces have been used in past conflicts to conduct deep raiding operations and strike at an adversary’s high value targets. This included the so-called “Scud hunts” in the 1991 Gulf War, as well as during the Vietnam War. It has been shown to be a valuable but somewhat high-risk use of resources. Typically, a high value asset like an air defence system or nuclear missile capability, will be moderately defended. But if an adversary learns that they are being actively targeted, they will often increase the force density defending them. This can lead to the raiding sections suffering excessive casualties, or expending much more of their ammunition and fuel than expected. 

However, until that happens, NATO has a wealth of specialised infantry capabilities that could support operations to target Russia’s air and coastal defence systems, potentially paving the way for improved chances of achieving air superiority. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on October 28, 2025. The lead image is a concept image of the Littoral Assault Craft. Credit: Marine Alutech.