They are designed to fulfill patrol and intervention tasks against lightly armed opponents, such as pirates and smugglers, but have much higher level electronic and radar surveillance capabilities which are used for military stabilization and security roles, short of outright war.

[6] The study proposes the sale of four existing Karel Doorman-class frigates, and using the proceeds and savings of the sale to commission four dedicated patrol vessels, allow the building of a more capable joint support ship to replace the auxiliary replenishment ship HNLMS Zuiderkruis, and reintroducing a mine-sweeping capability to the Dutch Navy.

[5] They are constructed with heavier mild steel and armour,[7] which results in a more robust ship of greater weight, than the previous M class frigates.

The Holland class' main armament is a 76 mm (3.0 in) Oto Melara Super Rapid gun with a firing rate of 120 rounds per minute and a maximum range of 16 km (9.9 mi).

[5] The cannon is adequate for deployment against smuggling vessels (such as interception of drug transports with fast speed boats in the Caribbean).

[citation needed] The ships are able to monitor to 250 km (160 mi) range air, missile and UAV targets, and to 70 km (43 mi) range surface targets[8] using a Thales Integrated Sensor and Communication Systems (ISCS), comprising a SeaMaster 400 air warning radar, a Watcher 100 active phased-array surface detection and tracking radar (claimed to be able to detect small objects such as mines and periscopes on the sea surface at 40 km (25 mi) range[9]).

[14] The ships are built to a design that is intended to reduce the ability of radar to detect them,[5] as well improving seakeeping by locating the superstructure unusually far aft.

The ships have a hangar and flightdeck for an NH90 NFH helicopter[5] and also carry two Fast Raiding Interception Special forces Craft (FRISC), with a speed of more than 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph).

Beside these special forces crafts, the Holland class has an improved internal communication infrastructure and is more resistant to the use of resources that are characteristic for asymmetric warfare.

[citation needed] On 20 December 2007, the contract was signed with Dutch-based Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding for four ships at a cost of around €467.8 million.

[19] On 26 April 2012, she assisted in the rescue of a sail training vessel off Iona while participating in an international exercise.

[17] In March 2024, the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced plans to replace the Holland class offshore patrol vessel.