The Tromp uses the huge dome-covered Signaal SPS-01 3D radar for volume search. SPS-01 passes its data to the SEWACO centralized computer combat system, then to the fire control systems for target engagement. Tromp employs a Mk 13 trainable single-rail mechanical missile launcher with a magazine containing 40 SM-1 Standard surface to air missiles. The Mk 13 can fire 1 missile every 8 seconds. These missiles are guided by a pair of SPG-51 tracker-illuminator radar's. Tromp also employs a manually reloaded Mk 29 8-round launcher for RIM-7M NATO Sea Sparrow missiles. These and the Bofors twin 120mm rapid-fire gun are controlled by a Signaal WM-25 fire control system (the distinctive egg-shaped object above the bridge). WM-25/Sea Sparrow covers the spot forward where the SPG-51 radar's are blind and is more effective against low-altitude targets than SM-1.

For engagement of air targets at long range (out to about 25nm) SM-1 Standard missiles would be used. Because SM-1 requires target illumination from the time of launch until the target is destroyed, each of the Tromp's two SPG-51 tracker-illuminators can deal with only one target at a time. The WM-25 system can also engage one air target at a time with Sea Sparrow missiles out to about 14nm. That means that at any given time the Tromp can simultaneously have a maximum of 3 surface-to-air missiles (1 Sea Sparrow, 2 Standard) in the air against up to 3 targets.

LCF is far more capable. The SMART-L radar performs the volume search function and can track over 1,000 possible targets. 200 of those can be handed off to the APAR radar which combines the functions of the WM-25 and SPG-51 radar's with a limited volume-search capability. Each face of the APAR radar can simultaneously provide up to 4 illumination beams for missile guidance, for a total of 16 simultaneous illumination beams over a 360 degree arc as compared to only 3 illuminators over more limited arcs on Tromp.

Instead of the mechanical launchers of the Tromp, LCF employs the Mk 41 vertical launching system which accommodates 32 Standard SM-2 Block IIIA and 32 ESSM surface-to-air missiles. The Mk 41 can fire missiles at the rate of 1 per second although 1 every two seconds is more common. Unlike their predecessors neither SM-2 nor ESSM require the firing ship to illuminate the target from the moment of launch. Programmable autopilots are used to fire the missiles in an energy efficient path towards the target, the illuminator being switched on only for the terminal phase of the engagement. This allows several missiles to "time-share" a single illuminator.

If we compare the LCF and its 30 simultaneous engagements to the 3 simultaneous engagements possible with the Tromp, it becomes rapidly clear that the LCF can simultaneously deal with 10 times as many targets and at about twice the range of the older frigate.