Helicopters (Gilze-Rijen, Soesterberg, Leeuwarden)
The Royal Netherlands Air Force has five types of helicopters in service, which carry out diverse tasks for the Dutch armed forces. The combat and transport helicopters have been purchased over the past few years in view of the adjustment of the armed forces towards providing more rapidly deployable units that are better equipped for peace, crisis management and humanitarian aid operations. The combat and transport helicopters are chiefly meant for the support of the Royal Netherlands Army’s Airmobile Brigade, but if necessary they could also be deployed for other units and in other contexts. The Royal Netherlands Air Force also possesses helicopters for search and rescue or other forms of civilian aid. The Chinook and Cougar for instance can be equipped with so called Bambi buckets for fire-fighting.
The Apache AH-64D combat helicopter is very manoeuvrable and can be employed for many different missions. For instance, the Apache has advanced surveillance and navigation equipment and is thus ideally suited to carry out reconnaissance tasks. Thanks to its varied weapon systems, the Apache can offer protection to ground forces or transport helicopters. It can also be used offensively to eliminate enemy aircraft, armoured vehicles, tanks or targets such as command and radar facilities, artillery positions and guided-missile sites. The Apache can perform these missions both during the day and at night and in adverse weather conditions.
The thirteen Chinook CH-47D heavy transport helicopters can move troops quickly, but can also transport weapons (e.g. mortars), materiel (e.g. light off-road vehicles), food and other supplies. The larger and heavier cargo can be suspended from the underside of the fuselage. Seven Chinooks are equipped with an additional rescue winch and provisions for loading and unloading over water, via the loading ramp at the rear.
The seventeen Cougar Mk II transport helicopters are lighter than the Chinooks and are used for, among other things, troop transport, supplies and medevac. Seven Cougars have been adapted for operating from the Royal Netherlands Navy’s amphibious transport ship. To this end they are also fitted with inflatable floats to keep the helicopter afloat on the surface of the water if necessary.
The three AB-412 rescue helicopters are tasked with the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s search-and-rescue missions. Thus they are deployed in searching for and rescuing fighter pilots who have ejected into the sea. In addition, they transport patients from the West Frisian Islands to hospitals on the mainland and are used for rescuing people from the sea. To this end the helicopter possesses a hoisting winch and medical equipment, including an oxygen panel and heart monitors. The rescue helicopters are also fitted with inflatable floats.
The arrival of the new helicopter types meant that the Bo-105 surveillance helicopter and the Alouette III helicopter had been all but phased out. As of 2004 only four Alouettes were still employed for such tasks as passenger transport.
The US State Department approved the sale of 17 Chinook cargo helicopters to the Netherlands, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement 23 March 2015. The Chinook sale will enhance the defense of The Netherlands and support NATO cooperation, according to the DSCA. The 17 Chinooks will supplement existing Chinook helicopters and eventually replace the Netherlands’ aging Chinook fleet.
“The proposed sale of CH-47F (Chinook) aircraft will improve the Netherlands’ capability to meet current and future requirements for troop movement, medical evacuation, aircraft recovery, parachute drop, search and rescue, disaster relief, fire-fighting, and heavy construction support,” the DSCA said. The deal is valued at $1.05 billion.
