Koninklijke Luchtmacht/Royal Netherlands Air Force

[Sandhi Yudha]

There seems to be no thread yet about the Koninkijke Luchtmacht (KLu) / Royal Netherlands Air Force or other Dutch aviation news, so lets start with one.

So Airbus delivered a couple of days ago the first out of eight ordered A330-200 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircrafts to the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) of the NAVO. The A330-200 MRTT with registration number T-055 landed on 14:48 tuesday 30 june 2020 at Vliegbasis Eindhoven.
The fleet will be jointly operated but four of these aircrafts will be permanently based at Eindhoven. They will also replace the last KDC-10 of the KLu (the other was already retired, wasn't it?).

The photos are from: Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit.

More information, photos and a video at

Video /Foto's: A330-200 MRTT (T-055) in Nederland • Piloot & Vliegtuig

Op de website van Onze Luchtmacht zijn de eerste 'livery' voorstellen verschenen voor de vier nieuwe A330 MRTT tankvliegtuigen die vanaf 2020 op Vliegbases Eindhoven worden gestationeerd. De als KC-30 aangeduide vliegtuigen zullen als het aan Airbus Defence & Space ligt, effen grijs worden gespoten.

www.pilootenvliegtuig.nl

 

[OPSSG]

In Dec 2018, Dutch Minister of Defence Ank Bijleveld stated that the Netherlands is investing in its armed forces to grow towards and eventually reach the NATO 2% of GDP defense spending norm. In this statement, minister Bijleveld also stated that NATO desires a third Dutch F-35A squadron, which equals to 15 aircraft in addition to the current order of 37.

Deployability Objectives (see: https://cms.polsci.ku.dk/events/airpower2014/Bertil_van_Geel2.pdf)

	Deployability b4 2013 WP	Deployability-after 2013 WP
Air	1x deployment of 14 F-16s or 1x prolonged deployment of 8 F-16s	1x deployment of 8 F-16s (4 F-35s) or 1x prolonged deployment of 4 F-35s
Land	1x Brigade Task Force or 2x prolonged deployments of Batallion Task Group (BTG)	1x Brigade Task Force or 1x prolonged deployment of BTG 1x short deployment of BTG

In Oct 2019, the Royal Netherlands Air Force rolls out the 1st of 8 operational F-35As ordered to replace its F-16 fleet. The Dutch are level 2 partners in the F-35 programme.

 

[Redskin301]

Here an update about the first deployment of the brand new Dutch F-35s. I wrote this article a month ago; but still nice to share it here

Here a video of the first deployment.

From Monday, November 9, 2020, the exercise Frisian Lightning II started at Volkel Air Base. During this exercise, the new F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft from Leeuwarden Air Base were sent to a domestic deployment for the first time in the Dutch history of this aircraft. At the end of the afternoon, the four brand new F-35A Lightning II fighters landed at Volkel Air Base. The landing of these aircraft attracted the attention of aircraft spotters who were ready to welcome the aircraft.

The exercise would last until Friday November 20, when the aircraft will fly back to Leeuwarden. The aircraft will fly two waves per day during the exercise. The first wave will take place in the afternoon and will be flown in daylight. The second wave is flown in the darkness of the evening. The flights will take about an hour and a half each time. The intention is that during these flights as many F-35s as possible will be launched in order to train as much as possible.

The entire detachment from Leeuwarden consists of about 150 men and women. The pilots who participate in this exercise are all qualified; they are all trained on the F-35 and all have years of experience on the F-16. Previously, the logistics, IT and security departments of the squadron already practiced at Leeuwarden Air Base during the exercise Frisian Lightning I. Here they trained in packing and preparing ground equipment and spare parts. therefore this exercise was a dry run in preparation for a real move. The experiences and lessons learned from that exercise are now applied in this second exercise. This time it concerns a transfer to another air base within the Netherlands.

During this exercise, the 322 Squadron from Leeuwarden will be based temporary at Volkel. This exercise focuses on the logistical relocation of the unit and is part of the step-by-step plan that will lead to an initial deployment capacity of the squadron at the end of 2021.

The exercise, called Frisian Lightning II, is the second in a series of exercises. The exercise is therefore part of the so-called “Road To Initial Operational Capability” (R2IOC). Where the Royal Netherlands Air Force knows exactly what to bring along with the F-16 Fighting Falcon and what the packing plan looks like, this is all new with the F-35A Lightning II.

What should personnel do with it during the deployment, does it fit in a container and is everything in order administratively? During this exercise, one will try out how to do this with this new weapon system in practice. A roadmap has been prepared by the Royal Netherlands Air Force for the full introduction of the F-35 to the unit.

This roadmap started from the arrival of the first aircraft at Leeuwarden at the end of 2019 and will continue until the IOC is achieved at the end of 2021. One of the steps is this relocation exercise that takes place at Volkel. In addition, the Royal Netherlands Air Force is continuously taking steps, such as further building up the squadron and continuous training of personnel (pilots, technicians, armaments, IT staff).

The facets of flying such as night flying ops, loading and dropping training bombs are also part of the R2IOC. If the unit achieves Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by the end of 2021, it means that the 322 Squadron will be able to deploy a unit of four F-35s including personnel and equipment for a short period of time anywhere in the world. The next step is a similar deployment exercise abroad. Then personnel will find out whether the RNLAF has everything ready when the national borders are crossed.

 

[Redskin301]

RNLAF 313 Squadron stops F-16 activity and starts conversion to the F-35A.

Here a video of the F-16s

At the end of December 2020, the 313 Squadron at Volkel Air Base will cease its current activities with the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The unit is released from operational duty to begin its conversion to the F-35A Lightning II. The conversion will start in early 2021. The pilots will leave to the United States to Luke Air Force Base in the state of Arizona. At this American airbase, the Royal Netherlands Air Force currently has eight F-35As that are used for the training of the pilots. The pilots will be trained in the course of the following year. The ex F-16 pilots no longer have to go through the entire program, because they are, after all, already qualified fighter pilots. This is therefore only a conversion training on the Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II. The fact that the pilots already have experience on the F-16 is a plus, but that does not mean that the conversion training is immediately an easy training, because the F-35A is an advanced aircraft and cannot be compared with the F-16. The ground crew will receive the necessary training at the American Eglin Air Force Base in the state of Florida. All American ground personnel for the F-35 are also trained at this American airbase. The Dutch personnel here only receive the necessary basic lessons on the new fighter type of air force. They will follow the real “on the job” training at Leeuwarden Air Base later in 2021. Here they will learn the job by learning from more experienced colleagues from the 322 Squadron. This unit of the Royal Netherlands Air Force has been using the F-35A since October 2019. people learn from experienced colleagues and will take this knowledge back to Volkel Air Base at a later date in 2022.

Once the pilots have completed their conversion training in America, the 313 Squadron will temporarily reside at Leeuwarden Air Base, probably in the second half of 2021. Here, too, the main goal is that the pilots of the 313 Squadron will learn from their experienced colleagues from the 322 Squadron. At Leeuwarden, the 313 Squadron will therefore start its road to initial operational status as a squadron. If everything goes according to plan, the 313 Squadron will not be relocated to Volkel Air Base until 2022. How this timeline will develop has not yet been fully determined, because the conversion to the F-35 depends on many different factors such as deliveries of aircraft and progress of training etc. After a period of 32 years, the 313 Squadron will stop flying the legendary F-16 Fighting Falcon. The unit received its first F-16s in 1988, when the unit was still based at Twenthe Air Base. From December 2005, the first F-16s from 313 Squadron were moved to Volkel. Since then, the Brabant airbase has been home to the 313 Squadron, which is known for its emblem depicting the tiger. The 313 Squadron is the second operational unit after the 322 Squadron to fly the F-35A. About 25 F-16s are currently based on Volkel. The best airframes with the fewest flight hours on the clock will be transferred to the 312 Squadron. Now that the 313 Squadron is about to start its conversion to the F-35A, from January 2021, the 312 Squadron will be the only operational unit on the F-16 left in the Netherlands. A few F-16s still fly at Leeuwarden every day, but those operations will also disappear in 2021, making Leeuwarden the first airbase in the Netherlands to be fully operational on the F-35A.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Netherlands of CH-47 and AH-64 Pilot Training and Logistics Support and related equipment for an estimated cost of $125 million, but in this report they do not tell for how many years this support is.

The Netherlands – CH-47 Pilot Training and Logistics Support | Defense Security Cooperation Agency

www.dsca.mil

The Netherlands – AH-64 Pilot Training and Logistics Support | Defense Security Cooperation Agency

www.dsca.mil

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

For the people in the Netherlands: if you suddenly get some low-flying C-130s in your area, dont panic! Its just an exercise.

For the aircraftspotters in the Netherlands: get your camera ready!

Defensie oefent met twee transportvliegtuigen boven Nederland

Vanwege de coronacrisis oefent defensie in Nederland. Vooral in de middag en aan het einde van de avond zijn de twee C-130 Hercules transportvliegtuigen te zien en te horen.

nos.nl

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Im sure @Redskin301 and other aircraftspotters already know this... maybe they are already standby with their cameras ready....

The Netherlands currently fields 11 CH-47D helicopters that it first received in 1995 and six early-standard CH-47F helicopters that began arriving in 2012.
With the CH-47Ds due to be retired, the six CH-47Fs are being upgraded to serve alongside the 14 newbuild CH-47Fs to give the RNLAF a fleet of 20 commonly configured Chinooks.

First newbuild CH-47F helo arrives in Netherlands

The first of 14 newbuild CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter for the Netherlands arrived in the country on 14 April, two weeks after being formally handed over at the...

www.janes.com

 

[Redskin301]

Yes I saw the helicopter coming in :-D

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Can we expect

Yes I saw the helicopter coming in :-D

soon your photos and video of this event?

 

[Redskin301]

Can we expect

soon your photos and video of this event?

Unfortunatly not yet, There was not media allowed this time due to Covid..... :-(

But I will catch it soon somewhere on the heath here

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Brik II will be the first satellite of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Innovative Solutions in Space from Delft created BRIK II together with the Koninklijke Nederlands Lucht- en Ruimtevaartcentrum (NLR) and also TU Delft and University of Oslo supported this project, which started in November 2017.

It is a good and important step forwards, but to say "Als alles verloopt volgens plan is Nederland na vandaag een ruimtemacht." is a little bit exaggerated.

Nederlandse krijgsmacht gaat de ruimte in: 'We moeten mee met onze tijd'

De naam van de eerste Nederlandse militaire satelliet, de Brik II, is een knipoog naar het allereerste Nederlandse militaire vliegtuig.

nos.nl

Eerste Nederlandse militaire satelliet morgen de ruimte in

Morgen is het dan zover, de eerste satelliet van de Nederlandse luchtmacht gaat de ruimte in. De satelliet wordt met behulp van een 747 van Virgin Orbit

www.upinthesky.nl

Here some information in English.

Brik-2

The Brik-2 (Brik-II), built by ISIS for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, is a CubeSat (6U) technological testbed mission.

space.skyrocket.de

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Gefeliciteerd! The first of four MQ-9A Reaper UAVs for the Netherlands was delivered on 7 July.

However, owing to budget cuts the programme was delayed to the extent that deliveries are just now getting under way. Once deliveries to the Netherlands are complete, the Reapers will be operated by 306 Squadron out of Leeuwarden Air Force Base. As previously reported, the Dutch will not arm its Reapers.

So the KLu had to wait for about six-and-a-half years after the US State Department cleared the sale of four Reaper UAVs and four GCSs to the Netherlands in February 2015, not because they work slowly at Poway, but because of the Netherlands government budget cuts.

306 Squadron was formerly an F-16 squadron at Vliegbasis Volkel together with 311 and 312.

Groen licht export Nederlandse Reapers

Groen licht export Nederlandse Reapers

www.pilootenvliegtuig.nl

GA-ASI delivers first Reaper for the Netherlands

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) delivered the first MQ-9A Reaper medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the...

www.janes.com

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

The Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit (MMU) received its fifth Airbus A330 MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft on 31 August.

Aircraft MMF5/T-058 of the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) was delivered to the unit's main operating station at Vliegbasis Eindhoven in the Netherlands, a sixth will be delivered in the near future.

NATO MMU receives fifth MRTT

The Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Unit (MMU) received its fifth Airbus A330 MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft on 31 August.

www.janes.com

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

The last of two ex-Martinair KDC-10 inflight refueling and transport aircrafts will make a special farewell flight above the Netherlands before being retired from service.
The KDC-10 will depart from Vliegbasis Eindhoven and fly at low altitude over Vliegkamp De Kooy and the airforce bases of Volkel, Leeuwarden, Den Helder, Woensdrecht and Gilze-Rijen. It will fly also over Texel, Amsterdam en Rotterdam and the headquarters of Koninklijke Luchtmacht in Breda before returning to Eindhoven.

The last KDC-10 is planned to leave the Netherlands for the US on 25 Oktober, but i expect before this will happen some Defencetalk members will take some nice photos and share it here.

Laatste ronde KDC-10-transportvliegtuig

Op 7 oktober 2021 vliegt het laatste KDC-10 tanker- en transportvliegtuig een afscheidsronde langs Nederlandse vliegvelden. Het toestel vertrekt vanaf Vliegbasis Eindhoven en vliegt op een lage hoogte richting de militaire vliegbases in Volkel, Leeuwarden, Den Helder, Woensdrecht en Gilze-Rijen...

www.defensie.nl

Defensie neemt afscheid van laatste KDC-10 met speciale vlucht over Nederland

De tanker- en transportvliegtuigen werden sinds 1995 ingezet bij missies. In augustus werd het toestel nog ingezet om mensen uit Afghanistan te halen.

nos.nl

 

[Redskin301]

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Thank you for sharing. Bewolkt of niet, vlijmscherpe opnames en alles stabiel in beeld, zoals altijd.

The Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu) has declared initial operating capability (IOC) for its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft.

Announced on 27 December, the milestone sees the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) become the 12th global military service to declare its F-35s ready for operations.

For the RNLAF, IOC means four aircraft with associated personnel, are available for expeditionary taskings anywhere in the world for a period of three to four months.

The KLu has ordered 37 and later 9 more F-35s, and now more than 20 F-35 are already delivered.

Nederland treedt met F-35 squadron toe tot select gezelschap

Nederland is met het F-35 squadron officieel Initial Operational Capable (IOC) verklaard. Dat betekent dat Defensie in staat is om kortstondig een eenheid van 4 F-35’s met personeel en materieel waar ook ter wereld in te zetten.

www.defensie.nl

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

At last the Netherlands government start to spend more on the airforce.
|"The Government of the Netherlands has requested to buy seventy-two (72) AIM-9X Block II Tactical Missiles; and forty-three (43) AIM-9X Block II+ Tactical Missiles that will be added to a previously implemented case. The original FMS case, valued at $16.8 million, included twenty-three (23) AIM-9X Block II Tactical Missiles. The Netherlands has also requested a new FMS case for twenty-two (22) AIM-9X Block II Tactical Missiles; forty-three (43) AIM-9X Block II+ Tactical Missiles; and one (1) AIM-9X Block II+ Tactical Guidance Unit. Therefore, this notification is for a total of ninety-five (95) AIM-9X Block II Tactical Missiles; forty-three (43) AIM-9X Block II+ Tactical Missiles; and one (1) AIM-9X Block II+ Tactical Guidance Unit. Also included are containers; classified and unclassified software; U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The total estimated cost is $117 million."|

It is a long time ago that the Netherlands ordered such amounts of air-to-air missiles.

The Netherlands – AIM-9X Block II Missiles | Defense Security Cooperation Agency

www.dsca.mil

 

[Toptob]

I made a post for the navy part earlier. But what does the defensienota 2022 mean for the air force?

Well, a whole six F-35 and four Reapers will be added to the existing orders. It might not seem like a lot, but in Dutch we say something about een gegeven paard...

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

I made a post for the navy part earlier. But what does the defensienota 2022 mean for the air force?

Well, a whole six F-35 and four Reapers will be added to the existing orders. It might not seem like a lot, but in Dutch we say something about een gegeven paard...

Zo is het maar net.... een gegeven paard moet je nooit in de kont kijken!

"Voor deze elite-eenheden wordt ook een helikoptereenheid ingericht."
Does this mean that for this upgraded Luchtmobiele Brigade eenheid, KLu will get more helicopters?


Here we can find some more information:

Netherlands Defence Note

Netherlands Defence Note On 1 June 2022, the Dutch Minister of Defence, Kajsa Ollongren, officially presented the Defence Note 2022. The government is allocating an additional budg...

www.scramble.nl

- an order for six additional F-35A Lightning IIs, increasing the total number of F-35As to 52
- establishing a third F-35A squadron next to 322 Squadron at Leeuwarden air base and 313 Squadron at Volkel air base
- an order for four additional MQ-9A Reaper Unmanned Combat Aerial System, increasing the capacity to eight Reapers
- all Reapers will be armed, the Parliament will be informed in 2023 with a Statement of Needs (so-called A letter)
- upgrading the AS532 Cougar squadron to support special operations
- replacing the AS532 Cougar with a Medium Utility Helicoper, the Parliament will be informed in 2023 with a Statement of Needs (so-called A letter)
- replacing the C-130H/C-130H-30 air transport capacity *) and adding an extra aircraft, the Parliament will be informed this year on the research phase (so-called B letter)

1. So probably these 52 F-35 gives KLu the possibility to convert the last F-16 squadron into a full F-35 squadron.
2. The AS532 Cougars will be upgraded (into CSAR configuration?) to support the LB, but...
3. The AS532 Cougars will be also replaced by a new type of helicopters. Adding more NH90s will be logic, if the Netherlands is satisfied about the performance and reliability of the NH90.

 

[Toptob]

Zo is het maar net.... een gegeven paard moet je nooit in de kont kijken!

"Voor deze elite-eenheden wordt ook een helikoptereenheid ingericht."
Does this mean that for this upgraded Luchtmobiele Brigade eenheid, KLu will get more helicopters?


Here we can find some more information:

Netherlands Defence Note

Netherlands Defence Note On 1 June 2022, the Dutch Minister of Defence, Kajsa Ollongren, officially presented the Defence Note 2022. The government is allocating an additional budg...

www.scramble.nl

1. So probably these 52 F-35 gives KLu the possibility to convert the last F-16 squadron into a full F-35 squadron.
2. The AS532 Cougars will be upgraded (into CSAR configuration?) to support the LBG, but...
3. The AS532 Cougars will be also replaced by a new type of helicopters. Adding more NH90s will be logic, if the Netherlands is satisfied about the performance and reliability of the NH90.

So far the extra F-35 and Reapers look pretty certain. And it looks like that would provide the numbers (45) for three squadrons plus some air frames for training in the US.

As far as the Cougars go... This elite unit they're mentioning is to be some sort of combined command covering both the 11 airmobile and the KCT commando units. It doesn't look like these units will be expanding, it's just a new command structure that will supposedly make these units more flexible for special forces missions (whatever that means). As for the helicopters, they're supposedly selecting personnel and machines specifically for training and operating special forces missions.

It was planned previously to upgrade the Cougars in order to keep them in service until 2030 at least. I don't see them adding anything special to that plan though, seeing how they've been used to support both airmobile and special forces operations for a long time already. At most this would mean some more specialized training, maybe more money for participating in exercises.

As for the replacement for the Cougars, well. Yeah from the outside, buying more NH-90's might look like the logical thing to do. But there's two big caveats to this. One the NH-90 program has been one big wet stinky turd and if they could exchange them for something else the air force would not hesitate to do so, because they are too expensive to operate and maintain.

And because reason two, our air force loves no LOOOOOVES to fly American! If it was up to them they'd be flying neither the Cougar nor the NH-90, but use some kind of H-60 platform in these roles. They where eying the UH-60 in the 90's but they where forced into the Cougar because Europe... and they would get rid of them tomorrow if they could. So which platform would replace the Cougar? My money would be on something American.