Defense buys new helicopters for special operations
News item | 05-06-2023 | 4:00 pm
Defense is purchasing 14 new helicopters for special operations.
The aircraft follow the Cougar transport helicopters.
According to the current schedule, this will take place from the beginning of 2028.
This is what State Secretary Christophe van der Maat wrote to the House of Representatives today.
The new special operations helicopter.
The purchase is one of the measures with which the Ministry of Defense
is converting a squadron of the Defense Helicopter Command
into a Special Operations Force (SOF).
Strengthening SOF capacity for operations on land and at sea
is a spearhead of the Defense Memorandum published last year.
The new helicopters are of the type H225M Caracal.
This turned out to meet the requirements.
Defense buys them from the European manufacturer Airbus Helicopters.
Just like the Cougars, the aircraft will have Gilze-Rijen Air Base as their home base.
Included in the purchase is new mission equipment for the helicopters.
Temporary simulation capacity for education and training also falls within the project.
27 years in service
Cougar helicopters have been in service with the Ministry of Defense for 27 years,
including for the transport of troops, equipment and for the transport of wounded.
A number also operate as on-board helicopters from naval vessels.
The military organization also uses the aircraft as a firefighting helicopter.
Then a flexible water bag (bambi-bucket) hangs under the device.
The weapon system never received a major interim overhaul.
This was partly due to changing insights into how to keep the device in use.
An improvement project is currently underway.
That extends the operational life of the current 12 Cougars to 2030.
Well, now that the RNLAF is setting up a special ops division, I can suddenly understand why Embraer eyes the Netherlands as a potential Super Tucano customer.
From the letter to Parlement
Schedule
The first H225M Caracal helicopters are expected to be delivered in early 2028. All fourteen helicopters will be delivered by the end of 2030. The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) date is foreseen early 2030 and the Fully Operational Capability (FOC) date early 2031. Around 2028, the Ministry of Defense will develop a divestment plan, which is expected to include part of the spare parts and test equipment of the Cougar for the Caracal can be reused.
Uit de brief aan de 2de kamer
Planning
De eerste H225M Caracal helikopters zullen naar verwachting begin 2028 worden geleverd. Eind 2030 zullen alle veertien helikopters zijn geleverd. De Initial Operational Capability (IOC) datum is voorzien begin 2030 en de Fully Operational Capability (FOC) datum begin 2031. Rond 2028 zal Defensie een afstotingsplan ontwikkelen, waarbij de verwachting is dat een deel van de reserve-onderdelen en testapparatuur van de Cougar voor de Caracal kan worden hergebruikt.
Several test flights have been carried out with helicopters in recent times.
In the end, only the Caracal helicopter from the European manufacturer Airbus and the American Black Hawk helicopter were in the race.
"The Caracal has a spacious cabin area that can be flexibly arranged
and has the right equipment to carry out all kinds of special operations,"
says the VVD state secretary about the final choice.
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