France, Germany, Italy and Poland this summer launched the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) project to develop a ground-launched missile with a range of several hundred kilometres for deep strikes against enemy positions.
Britain and Sweden have since jumped aboard the plan.
"Regarding the ELSA initiative, we've said as the Netherlands that we are interested in participating," Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans told reporters through an interpreter in Paris after meeting his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu.
Fighting during Russia's invasion of Ukraine has higlighted the need for European armies to develop the capability, which they currently lack.
"We think it's essential to increase European capacity," Brekelmans said.
He added that the Netherlands are keen to join the MGCS programme, which is intended to produce a new main battle tank for the French and German armies by 2040.
"We will have to be very pragmatic and see how far we get," he acknowledged.
Paris and Berlin have so far only said other countries could join later.
The French-German programme regularly makes the headlines for dust-ups between the two governments and the arms manufacturers tapped to develop the tank.
Both Brekelmans and Lecornu mentioned the incoming US administration under Donald Trump, who has blasted Europeans for failing to spend enough on defence.
"We'll have to be inventive, creative, to contribute more to European defence and NATO," Brekelmans said.
European capitals need to "show the US that we're taking on more of the burden-sharing", he added.
Brekelmans hailed the contract signed by the Netherlands in late September to buy four Barracuda submarines from French shipmaker Naval Group, as a symbol of close cooperation between the two countries and at the wider European level.
"This is more than an arms contract, it's a way for us to underscore our strategic closeness," Lecornu said.
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