The Dutch defence ministry is buying four unmanned aircraft from an American company at a cost of up to €250m. The MQ-9 Reapers are being bought ‘off the shelf’ and must be fully operational by the end of 2017, defence minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told parliament in a statement on Thursday.
They can also carry weapons but the Netherlands does not need that capacity at present, a ministry spokesman told Nos television later. ‘That is not the intention but it can change in the future,’ the broadcaster quoted the spokesman as saying.
The US uses the MQ-9 Reaper in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The Netherlands will use it in areas where Dutch troops are operating. The ground equipment and four aircraft will cost between €100m and €250m but the price is being kept secret out of commercial considerations, Nos said.
The UAS will be used to gather information in support of higher command levels than the tactical level currently covered by Dutch Raven and Scan Eagle UAS. In addition to military operations, Reaper will support civilian authorities in such tasks as disaster response and counter-narcotics.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense has had a MALE UAS requirement since 2011. The ministry said Reaper was the only system which met its requirements in terms of endurance, speed and accuracy.
Sources: Dutch News; Aviation Week