|
By Piet Luijken
 By Royal Decreet,
the Royal Netherlands Air Force ( RNlAF )was installed on the 1st
of July 1913. It started with a single leased 'Brik', an updated Farman
biplane, one commander and three pilots. They operated from Soesterberg which
is still one of the active airbases of the RNlAF. More aircraft arrived and
the RNlAF made its start as a professional air force. During the First World
War, the Netherlands remained neutral politically and was unable to obtain a
large amount of aircraft. However, as lots of foreign planes made an
emergency landing on Dutch soil, these aircraft were confiscated and bought.
Consequently, at the end of
the First World War, the RNlAF had obtained 71 planes, all different
types by different manufacturers. With more active aircraft, there was also
a need for more airfields. New airbases were build at Gilze-Rijen, Venlo,
Vlissingen and at Schiphol.
In the Interbellum, the RNlAF was equipped with aircraft locally built by
Dutch manufacturers like Spyker, Koolhoven and Fokker. From 1921 and on, the
red-white-blue roundel was introduced, replacing the orange roundel.
At the start of the Second World War, the RNlAF has a total of 125 combat
ready aircraft, including 20 Fokker D-XXI's fighters, 26 Fokker G-Is twin
boom fighters, 12 Fokker T-V bombers and 12 Douglas-Northrop 8A-3N bombers,
all stationed at airfields in the western part of the Netherlands. During
the 10 may 1940 attack by Germany, which lasted 5 days, 328 German aircraft
were shot down, including 220 Ju-52 trimotor transporters, at a loss of 94
Dutch aircraft. Most of the training aircraft managed to escape to England,
together with other members of the RNlAF, and with these resources a Dutch
squadron operating under RAF command is formed : 322 squadron, equipped with
different types of Spitfires.
After the war, it was an enormous task to rebuilt the RNlAF with training
and transport as main priority. June 27th 1948 was an important day as on
this day the first jet aircraft
arrived. With the introduction of the Gloster Meteor, the RNlAF was ready for
its air defence task. Under the umbrella of the NATO, founded in 1949, the
RNlAF was organised into a solid force, part of the 2 ATAF tactical force,
with more squadrons operating more and modern jet aircraft. Under the
American Mutual Defence Assistance Program, 62 NA F-86K Sabre jetfighters
are obtained, next to Republic F-84 Thunderjet bomber and RF-84 Thunderflash
reconnaissance aircraft. For training, the RNlAF used the Fokker S-11's and
Harvards for ab-initio and the Fokker S-14 Machtrainer and Lockheed T-33A
for the next stage. For liaison, some Beavers and Super Cubs are acquired.
The C-47 Dakota was used for transport tasks, later replaced by locally
built Fokker F27
Friendship/Troopship aircraft. The next generation of aircraft was introduced
in the sixties with the introduction of the (T/R)F-104G Starfighter
jetfighters, also partly built by Fokker. In the seventies, the NF-5A/B
fighter bombers
was introduced as a replacement for the Thunderjets. Also in this period, all
liaison airplanes were replaced by
helicopters: the Alouette III and the Bo-105C. The next stage was the replacement of the Starfighter by the GD F-16A/B Fighting Falcons, built by
Fokker with the first F-16 delivered in 1979. A total of 213 aircraft were acquired, also to replace the NF-5A/B.
Nowadays, the RNlAF, can
be considered one of Europe's most rejuvenated and modern air arms. With
the fall of the Warsaw pact and the changed world order, new doctrines were
needed necessitating different aircraft like long-range transport aircraft
and tankers. Therefore, Lockheed C-130H Hercules transporters and KDC-10
tankers were acquired. Due to the new 'Global Air Power' policy, also the
helicopter force was amended and modernised. More emphasis on the Air Mobile
brigade in the Quick Reaction Force required more and larger helicopters,
but also a wing of armed assault helicopters. For that reason, the Alouette 3 and Bo105, which both have
been used for observation and liaison tasks for many years, have
been replaced by 17 AS532U2 Cougar Mk.IIs and 13 CH-47D Chinooks for
transport duties, and by 30 AH-64D Apaches in the attack role. Four Alouette 3's are still in use, mostly for Royal Duties.
The Netherlands have been very active in humanitarian/peace keeping
operations, performed under the supervision of the UN or NATO.
1998 - 1999 Extraction Force 3x CH-47D at Kosovo ( FYROM )
1999 - 2000 Allied Force 20x F-16/1x KDC-10 at Amendola (Italy )
1999 Allied Harbour 3x CH-47D at Tirana ( Albania )
1999 Albanian Force 3x CH-47D at Tirana ( Albania )
1999 - 2000 KFOR all types at Italy / Kosovo
2001 - 2004 SFOR 2(5)x AS532U2 at Bugojno ( Bosnia )
2002 - 2004 Enduring Force 4(6)x F-16/1x KDC-10 at Manas ( Kirgizia )
2002 - 2002 Enduring Force 1x C-130H at Manas ( Kirgizia )
2004 - 2005 SFIR 6(3)x AH64D at Tallil ( Iraq )
2004 SFIR 3(1)x CH47D at Tallil ( Iraq )
2004 - 2005 SFIR 4(3)x AS532U2 at Tallil ( Iraq )
2004 - 2006 ISAF 6x AH-64D at Kabul ( Afghanistan )
2005 - 2006 ISAF 4x F-16 at Kabul ( Afghanistan )
2005 - 2006 Enduring Freedom 3(4)x CH-47D at Kandahar ( Afghanistan )
2006 - now ISAF 4(6)x AH-64D at Tarin Kowt ( Afghanistan, Task Force Uruzgan )
2006 - now ISAF 4(8)x F-16AM at Kandahar ( Afghanistan, Task Force Uruzgan )
2006 - 2007 ISAF 3(5)x AS532U2 at Tarin Kowt ( Afghanistan, Task Force Uruzgan )
2007 - 2008 ISAF 3x CH-47D at Tarin Kowt ( Afghanistan, Task Force Uruzgan )
2006 - 2008 ISAF 1x C-130H at Kandahar ( Afghanistan, Task Force Uruzgan )
2008 - now ISAF 3x AS532U2 at Tarin Kowt ( Afghanistan, Task Force Uruzgan )
2009 - now ISAF 1x C-130H at 'Mirage' AB ( UAE, 1 NLD Forward Support Element Mirage )
From 2006, the RNlAF has changed into an operational command, known as the Commando Luchtstrijdkrachten ( Air Force Command ), tasked with providing the operational
assets and is responsible for the training of the defence staff and keeping them operational. Therefore, all assets, including all airplanes and helicopters, are no
longer property of the RNlAF but are transferred to the Defensie Material Organisatie
( Defence Assets Organization ). With the new organization, also plans for
further cost saving measures are announced. The once mighty fleet of F-16s
will be further reduced to 108 airplanes. The surplus of modernised F-16's
will be sold to Chile (11 F-16AMs and 7 F-16BMs) and Jordan (eleven F-16BMs). The F-16s will be updated with the continuous Mid-Life Update program which is in the fourth
phase at the moment. With the M4 update the Fighting Falcons will comparable with the block 50 F-16s and capable of flying with NVG goggles, being armed with
laser guided or JDAM bombs and aiming with the Helmet Mounted Sight, while updating the radar picture with the Link16 data link. Further updates are expected.
Furthermore, 6 Reccelite reconnaissance systems, including ground stations, have been acquired to replace the obsolete MARS/Orpheus pods,
next to twenty Litening ATFLIR targeting pods. All F-16s operate in 6
squadrons from two Main Operating Bases, Leeuwarden and Volkel.
From May 2007, 306 squadron, the dedicated F-16
training squadron, has been based at
Springfield ANGB, OH , joining the Formal Training Unit which is part of the
178th FW. The AH-64D Apache combat helicopters operate within the 301 squadron and operate 21 aircraft
from Gilze-Rijen while 8 of them are permanently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas for training new crews. Gilze-Rijen,
will be transformed as the main operating
base for the helicopter force, as Soesterberg will be closed in 2009 and all squadrons will transfer to Gilze-Rijen.
The helicopter fleet will be increased and modernised with the procurement
of six CH-47F Chinook helicopters, replacing two crashed models, while there
are plans to update the remaining CH-47Ds to this standard. In 2009 the first of the 20 NH-90
helicopters will arrive, which are ordered in two versions: 12 NATO Frigate Helicopters ( NH90 NFH ) and 8 Marinised
Tactical Transport Helicopters ( NH90 MTTH ).The MTTH
version will be based at Gilze-Rijen, while the NFH version will be based at MVK De Kooy.
All helicopter squadrons are commanded by the Defensie Helikopter Commando ( Defence Helicopter Commando,
DHC ), part of the RNlAF. All transport
aircraft are based at Eindhoven. Due to the operational demands, the fleet
will be expanded. The four Fokker 60UTA-N transports, including the two used
for maritime patrol in the Antilles, have been decommissioned
and will be replaced by
two second hand C-130H Hercules aircraft. which are formerly stored US Navy EC-130Q aircraft
and are being refurbished. An extra DC-10 is in conversion at the moment and will be used as a
transport only.
|
The Marine Luchtvaartdienst ( MLD ) of the Royal Netherlands Navy ( RNlN )
had its start on 18th of August, 1917. It started with the same aircraft as
the air force like the Spyker, Fokker and Koolhoven. But it was only ten
years later when airplanes especially designed for naval services were
bought, like the Dornier Wal flying boats and the Fokker T-VIII seaplanes.
They operated from airbases like De Kooy, very close to the harbour of Den
Helder, or from the De Mok at Texel, especially made for seaplanes. During
the Second World War, the spririt of the MLD was placed in squadrons under
the Command of the Royal Navy, being the famous 320 squadron and the still
active 860 squadron. After the war, the MLD was developed to a large force,
with its peak period in the sixties with more than 100 airplanes divided
under 11 squadrons. Especially the aircraft carrier Hr Ms Karel Doorman had
an enormous impact in the development of this naval service with airplanes
for air defence tasks, like the Hawker Seahawk, or for anti submarine tasks,
like the Grumman Avenger and the Grumman Tracker. Helicopters were
introduced in 1950, first for rescue services with the Sikorsky S-51, S-55
and Agusta-Bell UH-1, later also for anti-submarine tasks, first with the
Sikorsky S-58, later with the Westland Wasp. With the decommissioning of the
aircraft carrier, the MLD was diminished to four squadrons, two with
long-range anti-submarine aircraft like the Lockheed Neptune, Breguet
Atlantic and the Lockheed Orion, being 320 sq and 321 sq, while two were
operating with the Westland Lynx, being 7 sq and 860 sq.
Order of Battle
