Armée Hollandaise/Armed forces of the Netherlands/Nederlandse krijgsmacht

Chinook au Mali.

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Koninklijke Luchtmacht

PHOTOS:

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Il est conseillé aux militaires néerlandais de ne pas porter l’uniforme dans les transports publics

Posté dans Europe, Terrorisme par Laurent Lagneau Le 27-09-2014

Éviter que des militaires soient visés comme cela a pu se produire en France (affaire Mérah, agression au quartier de la Défense) ou au Royaume-Uni (assassinat du caporal Lee Rigby) : tel est le sens de la recommandation que vient d’adresser le gouvernement néerlandais à ses soldats.

En effet, le ministère de la Défense a vivement conseillé aux militaires de ne pas porter l’uniforme dans les transports publics. Cette décision fait suite à l’annonce de la participation des Pays-Bas à la coalition formée contre l’État islamique (EI, ou Daesh) et surtout aux menaces proférées par un certain Muhajiri Shaam, un jihadiste de nationalité néerlandaise parti en Syrie.

Ce dernier a, dans un message vidéo appelé à « réaliser une action forte contre l’Etat néerlandais » pour son soutien aux États-Unis. Ce Muhajiri Shaam ne ferait pourtant pas partie de l’EI mais du Front al-Nosra, lié à al-Qaïda.

Le chef néerlandais de la lutte contre le terrorisme, Dick Schoof, a fait valoir qu’il s’agissait d’une « mesure de précaution ». Cela « arrêtera d’attirer l’attention de gens qui penseront qu’un militaire est une personne qu’ils peuvent attaquer », a-t-il dit.

Cela étant, aussi bien en France qu’au Royaume-Uni, les militaires visés par des terroristes (ou présumé tel dans l’un des cas) n’avaient pas emprunté les transports en commun. Le maréchal des logis-chef Imad Ibn-Ziaten, la première victime de Mohamed Merah, était habillé en civil quand il fut assassiné. Les militaires du 17e Régiment du Génie Parachutiste (RGP) se trouvaient devant leur caserne quand le tueur au scooter ouvrit le feu sur eux. Le chasseur blessé au quartier de la Défense était en patrouille dans le cadre du dispositif Vigipirate. Et le caporal britannique ne portait pas son uniforme quand il fut sauvagement tué.

http://www.opex360.com/2014/09/27/il-conseille-aux-militaires-neerlandais-de-ne-pas-porter-luniforme-dans-les-transports-publics/

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NLR tests weapons system for Dutch and Danish Air Force


In collaboration with Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the United States, NLR recently tested a new weapon system for the Dutch and Danish Air Force.

During the research, the weapon – a Dual mode-weapon (GBU-49), purchased by the Ministry of Defence – was dropped from Dutch and Danish F-16s. This bomb can be both laser-guided and GPS-guided. During the test, conducted at the Vidsel test range in northern Sweden, seven (inert) bombs were dropped on both stationary and moving targets.

When introducing any new weapon system, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) conducts an Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) before the weapon can be deployed.

This research program was a continuation of an earlier test series conducted in 2012. At that time the test results were rather disappointing. NLR wrote a report about that trial, and partly based on this report the manufacturer of the weapon system modified the software, whereby the weapon now performs better. These software modifications, and the accuracy of the GBU-49, were tested during the recently concluded event.

NLR was asked to observe from the ground how the bombs fell. For this purpose, various special cameras were positioned near the targets, including a number of cameras capable of detecting the laser spot of the targeting pod. In this way, insights could be gained into how the bomb fell in relation to the direction of the laser given by the aircraft. Moreover, photographs were made of the targets before and after the bombs were dropped. The Vidsel range recorded high-speed video images of most of the impacts. Furthermore, a final score was compiled based on where the bombs had landed. Radar track files were made of the all the bombs’ various trajectories.

This Operational Test & Evaluation phase (OT&E) revealed that the weapon functioned properly and can thus be operationally deployed. NLR compiled a report that included the completed OT&E’s findings and operational advice about the deployment of the weapon.

http://wp.nlr.nl/en/2014/10/07/nlr-test-wapensysteem-voor-nederlandse-en-deense-luchtmacht/

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oct 27, 2014

Le Karel Doorman envoyé contre Ebola

Nicolas Gros-Verheyde / Actualité, Afrique de l'Ouest Cote d'Ivoire Guinée, Aide humanitaire / Aide humanitaire, Ebola, marine, Pays-Bas



Le Karel Doorman à quai à son port d’attache Den Helder
(crédit : Marine néerlandaise)

(BRUXELLES2) Les Pays-Bas vont envoyer un de leurs navires le plus récent, le Karel Doorman (A-833) vers l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Il quittera les Pays-Bas le 6 novembre, a indiqué la ministre de la Défense Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert et son homologue du Développement Lilianne Ploumen dans une lettre à la Chambre basse, vendredi (24 octobre).

Au total, le Karel Doorman transporte plus de 100 véhicules et 50 containers de matériel de secours (vêtements de protection, cliniques mobiles, ambulances…), originaire des États membres de l’UE et des organisations internationales à destination des trois pays les plus touchés par la crise d’Ebola (Libéria, Sierra Leone et Guinée).

Navire de soutien logistique de 200 mètres de long, Karel Doorman est « parfaitement adapté à ce type de transports » indique-t-on au ministère néerlandais de la Défense, comprenant de larges soutes, pouvant accueillir 5000 tonnes de matériel divers, comprenant un hôpital de bord (avec 2 salles d’opération) et la possibilité d’accueillir sur son pont plusieurs types d’hélicoptères (Chinook, Cougar, NH90). C’est aussi le plus récent sorti des chantiers navals néerlandais (DSNS)… et roumain. Baptisé en mars 2014 et ayant commencé sa phase d’essai en juin 2014, c’est en fait sa première sortie opérationnelle.

Le voyage vers l’Afrique de l’Ouest devrait prendre environ 2 semaines. Le coût de l’opération sera pris en charge par l’Union européenne et le budget du ministère néerlandais de la Coopération au Développement. Le salaire des marins et l’entretien à bord du navire sera assuré par la Défense.

http://www.bruxelles2.eu/?s=en

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First Dutch F-35 squadron established



The Royal Netherlands Air Force on 4 November changed the command of its Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II detachment at Eglin AFB, Florida, to 323 Sqn. The unit had been officially disbanded on 31 October at Leeuwarden air base, having previously operated the Lockheed F-16.

Now re-established in the USA, 323 Sqn will be tasked primarily with conducting initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) of the F-35, following its relocation to Edwards AFB in California by the end of this year.

The Dutch air force has taken delivery of two conventional take-off and landing F-35As to support the US-led IOT&E activity, and has three pilots qualified on the type.

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US Air Force

The F-35A is due to become operational with the Royal Netherlands Air Force during 2019, with the service expected to eventually receive another 37 of the type.

www.flightglobal.com

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Dutch navy helicopters over the skies of RNAS Culdrose




Dutch navy helicopters have begun a three-week training stint in West Cornwall.




Three NH 90 Maritime helicopters from 7 (NL) Squadron of the Royal Netherlands Navy along with 60 aircrew and engineers have arrived at RNAS Culdrose.

They are also working with Flag Officer Sea Training at Devonport to hone their maritime skills alongside RNAS Culdrose’s Fleet Air Arm's Merlin Mk2s.

Pieter Agema, a support officer attached to 7 (NL) Sqn based at De Kooy, near Den Helder in Holland, said: "We've been coming here every six months for a good many years now and we always get a very warm welcome from our British hosts. We are here primarily to train our aircrew for frontline service with the Fleet. Culdrose has always proved to be an excellent base for everything we need to do and offers a happy environment to do it in.”

The Dutch are also assessing some of the new equipment carried onboard their NH 90 helicopters. They will be training a number of observers and aircrew to manage the systems.

There are also three RNLN ships training at Devonport alongside other NATO vessels.

Lt Agema said: "Working together with the Royal Navy and hunting real submarines is a great bonus for us and our training, you can't get this kind of training anywhere else in Europe."

Many sailors and aircrew have been coming to Cornwall for years.

Lt Agema said: “It's a real privilege to be here. It's a beautiful place for walking along the coastal paths and biking in the summer when the weather's really nice and in the winter when it's not, it's still beautiful.”

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk

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Russian Air Force Su-34 Fullback attack planes have become frequent visitors of the Baltic region.



On Dec. 8, two Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16s based at Malbork in Poland to provide NATO Baltic Air Policing duties in the Baltic States have intercepted and escorted two Russian Air Force Su-34 Fullback bombers flying in international airspace (with no FPL – Flight Plan).

The two Su-34s were flying southbound to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave, located between Poland and Lithuania, home of some Russian military airfield.

According to the Dutch Ministry of Defense, it was the second interception by Dutch F-16s since the RNlAF planes were detached to Poland on Sept. 3: the first scramble took place on Nov. 12 when the QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) jets shadowed a four-engine Ilyushin transport aircraft flying north of Estonia and Lithuania.

Su-34s are becoming frequent visitors of the airspaces of northern Europe.

The first photos showing Russian Air Force Fullback warplanes in the Baltics were taken last month by RNoAF F-16s on QRA at Bodo airbase. More recently, the Royal Norwegian Air Force has released an HUD (Head Up Display) video that would show Russian aggressive flying by a Mig-31 escorting two Su-34s at the end of October off Finmark.

As already highlighted by NATO, Russian activities in the Baltics have surged in 2014: since the beginning of the year, NATO planes were scrambled to identify and escort Russian planes more than 100 times; three times as many as in 2013.

http://theaviationist.com

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Dutch NH90 deliveries to resume

Deliveries to the Dutch armed forces of its remaining seven NH Industries (NHI) NH90 maritime helicopters – halted on the back of corrosion issues – are set to resume after the two sides hammered out a compromise agreement.

The acceptance process was stopped in June after problems were noticed on two aircraft that had been deployed at sea. Subsequent analysis by the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory found a number of design faults contributed to the corrosion.

Under the terms of the deal announced on 16 December, the NHI consortium – comprising Airbus Helicopters, AgustaWestland and Fokker – accepts full responsibility for the issue and will bear the cost of developing any modifications, repairs and preventive measures, the nation’s defence ministry says.

In all, some 75 points from the 100 identified now have solutions, with the remainder to be addressed in early 2015.



Anno Gravemaker

“The agreement between the ministry and the helicopter manufacturer has also established how problems are dealt with in the future,” the ministry adds. If further corrosion issues are found these can be added to the “roadmap” addressing the problems.

Two further deliveries of NH90 NFHs to the Netherlands Defence Helicopter Command are anticipated in 2014.

Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows the nation as possessing an active inventory of nine of the 11t rotorcraft, with four in storage and a further seven on order.

In October, Dutch defence minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert estimated that the delivery delay had cost the country in excess of €100m ($125 million) through a required interim service extension of its Airbus Helicopters AS532 Cougar fleet.

http://www.flightglobal.com

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Royal Netherlands Navy purchases Thales’s new NS100 surveillance radar for Rotterdam class LPD


The Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Thales have signed a contract for the delivery of a NS100 dual-axis multi-beam surveillance radar. The system will be installed on HNLMS Rotterdam, to replace its 30-year old DA08 radar system. The NS100 will be installed in the second semester of 2017, in line with the ship’s maintenance schedule.
   
The Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Thales have signed a contract for the delivery of a NS100 dual-axis multi-beam surveillance radar. The system will be installed on HNLMS Rotterdam, to replace its 30-year old DA08 radar system. The NS100 will be installed in the second semester of 2017, in line with the ship’s maintenance schedule.
NS100’s dual-axis, multibeam technology enables optimal situational awareness
Picture: Thales
   
The Royal Netherlands Navy selected Thales’s NS100 system because of its performance and its proven AESA technology. This technology enables a 3D cue to be given to both Goalkeeper Close-In Weapon Systems on the ship.

Furthermore, the selection for this radar has numerous logistic advantages since the Royal Netherlands Navy already operates the latest generation of Thales AESA radars on the majority of its vessels.

The NS100 radar incorporates a Thales IFF mode 5/S subsystem, making the Royal Netherlands Navy one of the first navies in the world to deploy this modern standard.
   
The Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Thales have signed a contract for the delivery of a NS100 dual-axis multi-beam surveillance radar. The system will be installed on HNLMS Rotterdam, to replace its 30-year old DA08 radar system. The NS100 will be installed in the second semester of 2017, in line with the ship’s maintenance schedule.
HNLMS Rotterdam
   
About NS100
The NS100 is the newest member of Thales’s S-band AESA radar family. It is the first radar world-wide using dual-axis multibeam technology, which significantly enhances situational awareness in a littoral environment. NS100 is a multi-sensor integrated platform: in addition to the S-band radar, the system is designed to include the Scout Mk3 FMCW radar, the IFF mode 5/S interrogator and transponder, an IR camera, AIS and ADS-B. Positioning all sensors at the best topside position optimizes the overall field of view.

The highly modular and scalable NS100 enables a tailor-made sensor for customer specific requirements and operational profiles. Radar performance is increased by adding RX and TX Building Blocks, answering to the need set by a wide range of naval ships and missions. The flexible radar architecture enables through-life introduction of new capabilities.

About Rotterdam class
The Royal Netherlands Navy has 2 vessels of this class: HNLMS Rotterdam and HNLMS Johan de Witt. The most important role for those ships is supporting amphibious operations. The amphibious transport ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy are also known as Landing Platform Docks (LPD). The ships are equipped with a large helicopter deck for helicopter operations and a dock for landing craft.

http://www.navyrecognition.com

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La maintenance de 37 avions F-35A va coûter cher aux Pays-Bas

Posté dans Europe, Forces aériennes par Laurent Lagneau Le 05-01-2015


En septembre 2013, les autorités néerlandaises ont confirmé leur choix en faveur du F-35A de Lockheed-Martin en passant une commande de 37 exemplaires. Soit une cible bien moindre que prévu… Puisqu’à l’origine, il était question d’acquérir 85 unités de cet avion dit de 5e génération, encore en cours de développement.

Seulement, étant donné l’explosion du coût unitaire de cet appareil, due aux difficultés rencontrées lors de sa mise au point, les Pays-Bas ont bien été obligés de revoir leurs ambitions à la baisse. Et cela d’autant plus que leur budget militaire a particulièrement souffert au cours de ces dernières années, impératif de réduction des dépenses publiques oblige. Il n’en reste par moins que l’acquisition de ces 37 F-34A coûtera la bagatelle de 4,5 milliards d’euros, ce qui fait tout de même cher pour équiper seulement deux escadrons…

En Belgique, où, comme aux Pays-Bas, il est question de remplacer les vieux F-16, l’affaire des F-35 est regardée de près d’autant plus que cet appareil est sur la liste des candidats potentiels (avec le Rafale, le F-18 Super Hornet, l’Eurofighter et le Gripen). Et un chiffre en a fait tiquer plus d’un : celui du coût annuel de la maintenance du nouvel avion de Lockheed-Martin.

Ainsi, selon des documents transmis au Parlement par Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Mme le ministre néerlandais de la Défense, la maintien en condition opérationnel (MCO) des 37 F-35 serait de l’ordre de 283 millions d’euros par an.

Pour comparer, le MCO aéronautique, en France, coûte annuellement au moins 2,2 milliards d’euros pour 1.258 appareils de 46 types différents, ce qui permet d’assurer 350.000 heures de vol. Et, selon un rapport du Sénat publié en mai 2008, le coût du MCO pour un Rafale  est d’ »environ 3 millions d’euros » par an.

La Belgique souhaite acquérir 40 nouveaux avions de combat. Or, son budget militaire, réduit d’année en année, était de 2,715 milliards d’euros en 2013 (et de nouvelles coupes ont été faites depuis…). En clair, la maintenance du F-35 – si cet appareil venait à être choisi – siphonnerait la moitié des dépenses de fonctionnement de son armée.

En attendant, s’agissant des Pays-Bas, ils n’auront pas assez d’avions pour assurer les missions de surveillance et de police du ciel… D’où l’idée de mutualiser les moyens nécessaires avec… la Belgique. Une lettre d’intention a été signée à cette fin le 23 octobre dernier et un accord final est attendu au début de cette année.


http://www.opex360.com/2015/01/05/la-maintenance-de-37-avions-f-35a-va-couter-cher-aux-pays-bas/

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Dutch UN attack helicopters strike Mali rebels in north

(Reuters) - Dutch United Nations attack helicopters carried out air strikes on Tuareg rebel forces in northern Mali on Tuesday, the first such engagement by Dutch forces serving in the U.N. mission in Mali.

The U.N. mission, known as MINUSMA, said it was responding to heavy weapons fire directed at its peacekeepers in the town of Tabankort. It said the helicopters only destroyed a rebel vehicle after firing warning shots that were ignored.

A spokesman for the MNLA Tuareg separatist rebels, who are involved in peace talks with the Malian government in Algeria, denied warning shots had been fired and said five fighters had been killed and several others wounded.

U.N. peacekeepers have deployed across northern Mali to help the weak Bamako government secure desert zones that were occupied by a mix of rebels and al Qaeda-linked Islamists in 2012 until a French military intervention two years ago.

The incident highlights how Mali's north is still awash with various armed groups and is likely to complicate the last round of U.N.-backed peace talks due to take place next month between the government and the rebel factions that are involved.



The U.N. mission had been for days seeking to end a standoff over Tabankort, a desert town that the MNLA had surrounded and where there are rival pro-government militia fighters, as well as a contingent of U.N. peacekeepers protecting civilians.

"These actions were taken in line with our mandate which authorizes MINUSMA to use force to protect civilians, its personnel and its positions from attack or imminent danger," the mission said in a statement.

The U.N. mission did not give a toll and it said clashes were still taking place on Tuesday evening.

Some 450 Special Forces troops, intelligence operatives and four Apache helicopter gunships from the Netherlands have been deployed in northern Mali as part of a force of up to 12,000 men.

U.N. troops mostly help Mali's army occupy key towns while French soldiers hunt down resurgent Islamist militants. However, the Dutch contingent is tasked with intelligence gathering and has the force's only attack helicopters.

MNLA spokesman Moussa Ag Acharatoumane said cooperation with U.N. peacekeepers would be suspended as a result of the clash.

"There was no negotiation. There was no warning," he told Reuters. "That was an error, and bombing our positions was also a very serious political error."

A resident in the town of Kidal, an MNLA stronghold, said the bodies of five rebels had arrived and were being buried on Tuesday evening.

(Reporting by David Lewis and Emma Farge; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Kevin Liffey, Toni Reinhold)

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Les F-16A néerlandais ont effectué 2.000 heures de vol au-dessus de l'Irak

21 Janvier 2015





Mercredi 24 Septembre, le vice-Premier Ministre néerlandais Lodewijk Asscher avait déclaré que six F-16A et 250 militaires au sol ont été déployés sur la base aérienne d'Azraq, en Jordanie, afin de participer à l'opération internationale qui a pour but de stopper l'avancée de l'Etat Islamique en Irak.

Dans un communiqué, le gouvernement indiquait que les militaires néerlandais ont été mis "à disposition pour la première phase de la campagne, pour un an". Ces appareils, à l'image de leurs homologues belges et des six Mirage 2000D de l'Armée de l'Air, participent régulièrement à des raids aériens de la coalition ou des missions de reconnaissance armées.

Depuis la fin du mois de Septembre donc, et au fur et à mesure des semaines qui se sont écoulées depuis, les six F-16A et les pilotes de chasse de l'Armée de l'Air Royale Néerlandaise ont accompli 2 000 heures de vol au-dessus de l'Irak. Ces 2 000 heures de vol ont été franchies durant les 400 missions, où environ 240 frappes aériennes ont eu lieu, selon un communiqué de l'Armée de l'Air Royale Néerlandaise, publié sur sa page Facebook officielle.

Au 31 Décembre 2014, la coalition internationale avait réalisé environ 16 000 missions aériennes (frappes au sol, missions de reconnaissance, missions de reconnaissance armées, missions de transport et de largage d'aide humanitaire ou de matériels, ...) et environ 5 585 bombes ont été larguées contre des cibles, comme des véhicules, des chars, des bunkers, des postes de combat, ainsi que des bâtiments divers occupés par les jihadistes de l'Etat Islamique. Des informations complémentaires sont disponibles dans mon article ( concernant ces données chiffrées transmises par le Pentagone et l'US Central Command.


http://www.defens-aero.com/2015/01/les-f-16a-neerlandais-ont-effectue-2-000-heures-de-vol-au-dessus-de-l-irak.html

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Terma to Field Aircraft Survivability Equipment on Dutch NH-90 Helicopters

Terma has been contracted by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) to integrate the Terma MASE pod onto NH-90 helicopters.

Lystrup, Denmark - Terma has been contracted by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) to integrate the Terma Modular Aircraft Survivability (MASE) Pod onto the Dutch air force’ NH-90 helicopters.

The MASE Pod solution includes the Terma developed and manufactured Electronic Warfare Management System, ALQ-213 in the latest version, Missile Warning sensors, and Chaff/Flare Dispenser modules. The modular design allows for future integration of coming sensors and new requirements.


- Having collaborated with the RNLAF for decades, we are very pleased being selected to provide the NH-90 platform with self-protection equipment. This strongly indicates that RNLAF has confidence in our solutions. This applies to system performance, the entire process, and the collaboration between the air force and Terma, said Jesper Petersen, Vice President, Airborne Applications, Terma Defense & Security.

Terma has collaborated with the RNLAF and The Netherlands’ Defence Materiel Organization for more than 20 years, integrating the EW suite on a large variety of aircraft platforms.

The MASE pod family concept was originally developed for installation on the AH-64D Apache in 2003. Since then, the modularity of the MASE pod has enabled tailoring for other helicopter platforms including EH-101, Mi-17, Mi-24, and AS 550 Fennec. The MASE pod concept is also fielded on the CH-47F Chinook in a sophisticated CHASE version. Further, Terma’s Electronic Self-Protection Systems are in use on the AS 532 U2 Cougar Mk2 and on the F-16 fighters and C-130H transport and other aircraft throughout the world.

http://www.terma.com

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The Netherlands – MQ-9 Reapers

WASHINGTON, Feb 6, 2015 - The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Netherlands for MQ-9 Reapers and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $339 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of the Netherlands has requested a possible sale of:

4 MQ-9 Block 5 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft
4 Mobile Ground Control Stations Block 30 (option Block 50)
6 Honeywell TPE331-10T Turboprop Engines (4 installed and 2 spares)
2 SATCOM Earth Terminal Sub-System
6 AN/DAS-1 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems (MTS)-B
4 General Atomics Lynx (exportable) Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving
Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) Systems, w/Maritime Wide Area Search capability
2 Ruggedized Aircraft Maintenance Test Stations
20 ARC-210 RT-1939 Radio Systems
8 KY-1006 Common Crypto Modules
8 Ku-band Link-Airborne Communications Systems
4 KIV-77 Mode 4/5 Identification Friend or Foe
4 AN/APX-119 Mode 4/5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Transponder (515 Model)
14 Honeywell H-764 Adaptive Configurable Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Guidance Units (EGI) with Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) (12 installed and 2 spares)

Also provided are an Initial Spares Package (ISP) and Readiness Spares Package (RSP) to support 3400 Flight Hours for a three (3) year period, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated cost is $339 million.

The Netherlands is one of the major political and economic powers in Europe and NATO and an ally of the United States in the pursuit of peace and stability. It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist the Netherlands to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This potential sale will enhance the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability of the Dutch military in support of national, NATO, UN-mandated, and other coalition operations. Commonality of ISR capabilities will greatly increase interoperability between U.S and Dutch military and peacekeeping forces.

The Netherlands requests this capability to provide for the defense of its deployed troops, regional security, and interoperability with the U.S. The proposed sale will improve the Netherland’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing improved ISR coverage that promotes increased battlefield situational awareness, anticipates enemy intent, augments combat search and rescue, and provides ground troop support. The Netherlands will have no difficulty absorbing this additional capability into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor will be General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. in San Diego, California. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale may require U.S. contractor representatives to make multiple trips to the Netherlands and potentially to deployed locations to provide initial launch, recovery, and maintenance support.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.

http://dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/netherlands-mq-9-reapers

MSO

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Dutch parliament approves first F-35 production order

The Dutch parliament has approved an order for the nation’s first production batch of eight Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs, to be delivered in 2019.

“With this decision, we have reached the point of no return in the replacement of the [Lockheed] F-16,” said defence minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert on 26 February.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force is already operating two F-35As, which were acquired to enable the service to participate in US-led initial operational test and evaluation of the Joint Strike Fighter. In early February, these were moved from Eglin AFB in Florida to Edwards AFB in California.

asset image

US Air Force

From its next batch of eight F-35As, which will be assembled at Lockheed’s Fort Worth site in Texas, six will remain at a multinational pilot training centre in Luke AFB, Arizona until the end of the transition process in 2023. The two test aircraft now at Edwards AFB will also be relocated to Luke on the completion of the IOT&E activity.

Once the Dutch air force has completed its transition to the new type, five aircraft will remain in the USA for training and testing purposes. The rest of its fleet will be used to form three squadrons based in the Netherlands.

Three further batches of eight aircraft each will be ordered between 2016 and 2018, before a final three are expected to be purchased in 2019, to complete an operational buy of 35. All of these will be delivered from a final assembly and check-out centre built at Cameri air base in Italy under a joint venture between Lockheed and Alenia Aermacchi.

The first operational unit in the Netherlands will be 322 Sqn at Leeuwarden air base, and the defence ministry will next year launch preparations to accommodate the new fighters. 322 Sqn should achieve initial operational capability status in 2021 with aircraft in the Block 3F configuration, the software standard required to support training from the previous year.

Achieving IOC status will make it possible for the air force to provide four aircraft and sufficient crews for international missions for a period of three to four months.

Full operational status with all three frontline units – including the Volkel-based 312 and 313 squadrons – should be achieved in 2024. The defence ministry plans to have 29 combat-ready pilots for an operational force of 32 F-35As, with the other aircraft in regular maintenance.

The Netherlands’ total budget for the F-35 is listed as almost €3.87 billion ($4.32 billion), including around €2.5 billion for the purchase of the airframes. Other major investments are of roughly €130 million for spare parts and about €110 million for a flight simulator. The defence ministry notes that its total purchase could rise above 37 aircraft if the total price is reduced, or if other costs remain below budget.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

La séduction Reaper

Stratégie et politique  16 mars 2015


Les succès qu’enregistre General Atomics en Europe avec la vente d’un système de quatre drones aux Pays-Bas, la négociation en cours de trois nouveaux Reaper pour la France et l’écrasante supériorité de la proposition faite à l’Espagne ne s’expliquent pas seulement par les attraits de l’offre commerciale ou technique, mais par une véritable stratégie de séduction des opération­nels, déclinée à tous les ni­veaux de la chaîne hiérarchique.

Acheter un Predator offrira, d’ici quelques semaines, aux partenaires euro­péens la possibilité d’intégrer un club d’utilisateurs où seront capita­lisées les meilleures pratiques et retours d’expériences. Mais alors que cet outil marketing est en géné­ral à l’initiative des industriels, ce dernier est directement adminis­tré par l’US Air Force, car le Predator n’est pas qu’un simple vecteur, il est avant tout l’instrument d’une doctrine et d’une chaîne de com­man­dement que le Pentagone cherche à imposer à ses alliés.

Les opérations américano-britanniques en Irak permettent d’avoir une petite idée des procédures véhiculées au sein de ce futur club d’utilisateurs. Rapatriés d’Afghanistan pour l’Irak en octobre dernier, les Reaper britanniques superposeraient au sein d’une même mission plusieurs sous-missions tactiques, opérati­ves, ou stratégiques, allant de la surveillance (Imint, Sigint, Gmti) adverse ou alliée (force protection), du Damage Assessment temps réel en support aux opérations de frap­pes aériennes, jusqu’à la désigna­tion ou la neutralisation d’objectifs d’opportunité, afin de minimiser l’usage des commandos au sol. Mais le cœur du système Reaper repose plus sur le concept de centres d’opérations combinés et sur ses experts que sur ses machines.

Un équipage Predator est désormais composé d’une dizaine de membres. Si deux sont dédiés au pilotage, sous l’autorité d’un commandant qui gère toutes les phases de la mission et l’emploi du système d’armes, le reste des membres forme un “back-end crew” composé de “sensors managers” en charge de l’exploitation des données des différents capteurs, mais aussi d’analystes qui consolident la perception de la menace par l’exploitation des renseignements issus d’autres plates-formes ISR dédiées du dispositif allié (avions sigint, chasseurs dotés de pods de reconnaissance, satellites…).

Chaque mission devient donc une opération de renseignement combinée en propre, et dont la durée n’est plus limitée à la capacité d’autonomie du drone. En effet, l’US Combined Operation Air Operations Center assure la coordination entre eux des centres d’opérations des différents théâtres et gère au-dessus de l’arc de crise (Afghanistan, Irak, Yémen, Somalie et Libye) plus de 60 “hippodromes” de surveillance sans interruption. En fonction du degré d’urgence, chaque hippo­drome est susceptible de venir relayer ou appuyer un périmètre de surveillance voisin.

Si le Reaper constitue un multiplicateur de force sans précédent en termes de renseignement et d’appui aux opérations, les coûts suscités par les standards qu’il impose et la dépen­dance initiée à l’égard de l’US Air Force — en raison du refus par celle-ci de fournir aux utilisateurs non américains les systèmes de fusion de données dont elle est propriétaire — doivent inviter plus que jamais les opérationnels et les politiques européens à sécuriser la totale maîtrise de ce drone comme l’autonomie de la décision qui en découle.

http://www.ttu.fr/la-seduction-reaper-envers-les-operationnels/

 RIP

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Un hélicoptère AH-64 Apache néerlandais s’est écrasé dans le nord du Mali

Posté dans Afrique, Forces aériennes, Opérations par Laurent Lagneau Le 17-03-2015



Un hélicoptère d’attaque AH-64 Apache des forces néerlandaises s’est écrasé, ce 17 mars, à une vingtaine de kilomètres de Gao (Nord du Mali), alors qu’il s’apprêtait à atterrir. Les deux occupants de l’appareil sont malheureusement décédés.

Un temps annoncée par l’agence Reuters et l’AFP, l’information a été confirmée à 20H00 par le général Tom Middendorp, le chef d’état-major des armées néerlandaises.

L’hélicoptère appartenait à l’Escadron 301 de la base aérienne de Gilze-Rijen. Apparemment, il aurait eu un problème mécanique peu avant de s’écraser. Son équipage était constitué par le capitaine René Zeetsen (30 ans) et le lieutenant Ernst Mollinger (26 ans). Ce dernier a été pris en charge médicalement par la force française Barkhane avant de succomber à ses blessures.

Dans le cadre de la Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA), les Pays-Bas ont déployé au Mali un contingent de 450 militaires ainsi que 4 AH-64 Apache et 3 hélicoptères de transport CH-47 Chinook.

Les AH-64 Apache néerlandais sont intervenus, en janvier dernier, dans la région de Tabankort, en réponse à des tirs d’armes lourdes contre des casques bleus de la MINUSMA effectués par des combattants de la Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA).

http://www.opex360.com/2015/03/17/helicoptere-ah-64-apache-neerlandais-sest-ecrase-dans-le-nord-du-mali/

R.I.P .

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The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Netherlands for CH-47F Aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.05 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on March 19, 2015.
The Government of the Netherlands has requested a possible sale of 17 CH-47F Cargo Helicopters with customer unique post-modifications, 46 T55-GA-714A Aircraft Turbine Engines with Hydro-Mechanical Assembly (34 installed and 12 spares), 41 Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems (EGIs), 54 AN/ARC-231 Ultra High Frequency/Very High Frequency Radios, 21 AN/ARC-220 High Frequency Radios, 21 AN/APX-123A Identification Friend or Foe Transponders, and 41 AN/ARC-201D Very High Frequency Radios. Also included are spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools and test equipment, aircraft ferry and refueling support, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, U.S. government and contractor technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated cost is $1.05 billion.

http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/netherlands-ch-47f-aircraft

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Netherlands signs for initial operational F-35s

Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly  



One of the Netherlands' two test aircraft. On 26 March, the Ministry of Defence announced it had signed a contract for the country's first
eight operational jets, to be delivered by 2019. Source: Lockheed Martin


The Netherlands has officially signed for its first eight operational Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 26 March.

In signing for the Royal Netherlands Air Force's (RNLAF's) initial aircraft, which are to be delivered by 2019, Dutch Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said that the country has now "passed the point of no return" in its commitment to the F-35 as a successor to the incumbent F-16.

The Netherlands has already invested USD800 million in the F-35's development phase, and has to date received two test aircraft, which are operated in the United States as part of a common international test and evaluation (T&E) fleet. Once T&E is complete in 2018, both of these aircraft will be utilised by the RNLAF for training and operations.

In all, the RNLAF plans to procure 37 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A aircraft. These aircraft are due to be manufactured at the final assembly and check out (FACO) facility in Cameri in Italy, with deliveries set to run through to 2024.

Dutch MoD officials have previously stated that the total procurement contract is expected to remain within the EUR4.5 billion (USD4.9 billion) budget set for it.


http://www.janes.com/article/50238/netherlands-signs-for-initial-operational-f-35s

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Koninklijke Marine
     
 

PHOTOS:

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Le 17e RI néerlandais s’entraine à La Courtine  

Ajoutée le 30 avr. 2015
Après plusieurs décennies d’absence, le 17e régiment d’infanterie néerlandais revient en France du 20 avril au 1er mai pour s’entrainer.
Confronté à un manque d’espace et d’infrastructures aux Pays-Bas, les hollandais avaient pour tradition de s’entrainer dans les camps militaires français pendant les années 1960-1970. Récemment, un nouveau partenariat conclut entre la 13e brigade légère blindée néerlandaise et la 3e brigade légère blindée française permet de renouer avec cette habitude perdue.
Depuis quelques jours, les troupes hollandaises investissent le département de La Creuse et profitent des installations offertes par le camp de La Courtine pour travailler leur savoir-faire. A cette occasion, les militaires français partagent les activités et exploitent ces occasions pour perfectionner les capacités d’intervention et améliorer l’interopérabilité.

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La Hollande va entraîner ses pilotes sur M-346


Publié le 11/05/2015 à 15h38, par Antony Angrand


L'Alenia Aermacchi M-346 sur lequel les pilotes militaires néerlandais seront entraînés en Italie. © Alenia Aermacchi  


Les pilotes de la KLu (Koninklijke Luchtmacht ou armée de l'air royale néerlandaise) s'entraîneront en Italie sur Alenia Aermacchi M-346 en service au sein de la force aérienne italienne (dans laquelle l'appareil est connu sous la dénomination T-346). Cela fait suite à un accord passé entre les deux états-majors des forces aériennes à Milan la semaine dernière.

Cet accord envisage également le détachement d'un instructeur et de deux élèves-pilotes de la KLu à l'école de pilotage de la force aérienne italienne de Lecca-Galatina. Les trois navigants suivront le programme d'entraînement standard des pilotes militaires italiens. Ce dernier a été récemment reconfiguré afin de rester en phase avec les avancées technologiques et opérationnelles.

Le M-346 a été commandé jusqu'à présent par l'Italie, la Pologne et Israel et compte actuellement 59 appareils commandés.  


http://www.air-cosmos.com/2015/05/11/34476-la-hollande-va-entrainer-ses-pilotes-sur-m-346