Royal Netherlands Air Force

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The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF), Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu), is the aviation branch of the Netherlands defence forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army was founded on July 1, 1913, and it originally consisted of just 4 pilots. In September 2005, the Air Force General Dick Berlijn was appointed as the first commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Netherlands.

Contents 1 History 2 Current Equipment 3 Air Bases and Squadrons 3.1 Large Main Operating Bases (MOB's) 3.2 Tactical Helicopter Groups (THG) and Air Bases 3.3 Other Air Bases 3.4 Guided Weapons Base 3.5 Control Station 4 Rank Structure 5 Operation Enduring Freedom and NATO in Afghanistan 6 The future 7 External links 7.1 General 7.2 References

[edit] History

[edit] Current Equipment

The aircraft deployed include:

Fighters

• 105 F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcon

Transport/refuelling

• 2 C-130H-30 Hercules (additional 2 on order)
• 2 KC-10 (KDC-10) Extender Aerial refueling/strategic transports
• 1 DC-10 transport
• 2 Fokker 50 Friendship
• 1 Gulfstream IV

Attack helicopters

• 29 AH-64D Apache (This number is planned to be reduced to 24, although the Dutch Secretary of Defense is trying to get the additional needed funds to keep all 29 Apaches operational)

Transport helicopters

• 13 CH-47D Chinook (11 now operational, after two crashes in Afghanistan. Some purchased from the Canadian Forces in 1991. Six new CH-47F Chinooks are ordered, an upgrade of 11 CH-47D Chinooks to the newer CH-47F configuration is also planned. Hence in the future, the RNLAF will have 17 CH-47F Chinooks.)
• 3 UH-1Y (Agusta Bell AB 412SP) (SAR helicopters)
• 4 SE 3160 Alouette 3 (for aerial photography, VIP-flights, light domestic transport)
• 17 AS 532U2 Cougar Mk2

Pilot Trainers

• 13 PC-7 Turbo Trainer

Ground Based Air Defense systems

• MIM-104 Patriot PAC2 and PAC3 (on DAF trucks)
• FIM-92 Stinger man portable

Vehicles

• MB 290 (various models)
• DAF trucks (various models)

[edit] Air Bases and Squadrons

[edit] Large Main Operating Bases (MOB's)

• Leeuwarden Air Base
  • 322nd Sqn. F-16 Reaction Force Squadron
  • 323rd Sqn. F-16 Tactical Squadron
  • 303rd Sqn. Agusta Bell AB 412SP Search and Rescue Helicopter Squadron
  • 630th Sqn. Operational Ground Squadron
  • 920th Sqn. Maintenance Support Squadron
  • 921st Sqn. Logistic Support Squadron
  • 922nd Sqn. Miscellaneous Support Squadron

• Air Base Volkel
  • 311th Sqn. F-16 Squadron
  • 312th Sqn. F-16 Squadron
  • 313th Sqn. F-16 Squadron
  • 306th Sqn. F-16 Training Squadron
  • 900th Sqn. F-16 Maintenance Support Squadron
  • 901st Sqn. Transport and Storage Support Squadron
  • 902nd Sqn. Miscellaneous Support Squadron
  • 640th Sqn. Air Base Security Support Squadron
  • 601st Sqn. Reserves Support Squadron
• Air Base Twenthe, Enschede (Planned to be closed in 2007)
  • 620th Sqn. Security Squadron
  • 910th Sqn. F-16 Maintenance Support Squadron
  • 911th Sqn. Transport and Storage Support Squadron
  • 912th Sqn. Miscellaneous Support Squadron

[edit] Tactical Helicopter Groups (THG) and Air Bases

• THG Soesterberg (Planned to be closed in 2009, with the units to be moved to Gilze-Rijen)
  • 298th Sqn. CH-47 Chinook Squadron
  • 300th Sqn. Eurocopter Cougar and Aérospatiale Alouette III Squadron
  • 610th Sqn. Security Squadron
  • 932nd Sqn. Maintenance and Logistic Support Squadron
  • 933rd Sqn. Miscellaneous Support Squadron
  • 934th Sqn. Facility Management Support Squadron
  • 604st Sqn. Reserves Support Squadron
• THG Gilze-Rijen
  • 301st Sqn. AH-64 Apache Squadron
  • 670th Sqn. Security Squadron
  • 930th Sqn. Communication and Information Support Squadron
  • 931st Sqn. Miscellaneous Support Squadron
  • 604st Sqn. Reserves Support Squadron

[edit] Other Air Bases

• Air Base Eindhoven
  • 334th Sqn. Transport Squadron
  • 940th Sqn. Maintenance Support Squadron
  • 941st Sqn. Miscellaneous Support Squadron
• Air Base Woensdrecht
  • Royal Military Air Force School
  • Logistics Center
  • Air Force Meteorological Group
  • 960th Sqn. Transport and Storage Support Squadron
  • 961st Sqn. Miscellaneous Support Squadron
  • 604st Sqn. Reserves Support Squadron

[edit] Guided Weapons Base

• Guided Weapons Group De Peel
  • 801st Sqn. MIM-104 Patriot and FIM-92 Stinger Squadron
  • 802nd Sqn. MIM-104 Patriot and FIM-92 Stinger Squadron
  • 803rd Sqn. MIM-104 Patriot and FIM-92 Stinger Squadron
  • 804th Sqn. MIM-104 Patriot and FIM-92 Stinger Tactics, Education & Standardization Squadron
  • 800th Sqn. Group Operations Squadron
  • 650th Sqn. Security Support Squadron
  • 951st Sqn. Maintenance and Logistic Support Squadron

[edit] Control Station

• Air Operations Control Station Nieuw Milligen (AOCS NM)
  • 710th Sqn. Control And Reporting Centre (CRC)
  • 711th Sqn. Military Air Traffic Control Center (MilATCC)
  • 970th Sqn. Support Squadron

[edit] Rank Structure

The officer ranks of the Royal Netherlands Air Force is given below:

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF-D-	Student Officer
Netherlands (Edit)	No equivalent											No equivalent
		Generaal	Luitenant-generaal	Generaal-majoor	Commodore	Kolonel	Luitenant-kolonel	Majoor	Kapitein	Eerste-luitenant	Tweede-luitenant Vaandrig

[edit] Operation Enduring Freedom and NATO in Afghanistan

In October 2002 a tri-national detachment of 18 Netherlands, Danish and Norwegian F-16 ground attack aircraft and one Netherlands KDC-10 tanker, deployed to Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan in support of ground forces in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

As part of the expanded NATO mission in southern Afghanistan in 2006, the Royal Netherlands Air Force deployed six F-16 ground-attack aircraft, six Eurocopter Cougar transport helicopters of 300 Squadron and six AH-64 attack helicopters of 301 Squadron. Dutch F-16s were joined by four Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s in a detachment know as the 1st Netherlands-Norwegian European Participating Forces Expeditionary Air Wing (1 NLD/NOR EEAW). [1]

On August 31 2006 a Royal Netherlands Air Force pilot was killed when his plane crashed during a mission to support British ground troops in Helmand province.[2]

[edit] The future

The F-16 is likely to be replaced, eventually, by the F-35 Lightning II, which is favored by the Dutch Air Force over the proposed Eurofighter, Rafale, F/A-18E/F, F-16E/F, and Swedish Saab Gripen. The Netherlands was the first country to sign the Production Sustainment & Follow On Development (PSFD) for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft but a future government may decide in favor of the Eurofighter, the Rafale, or any other candidate.[3]

The (K)DC-10 aircraft were updated in 2005 by Fokker Services (part of Stork Aerospace, located near Woensdrecht Air Base). Another planned DC-10 shall bring the total number of these aircraft in service with the RNLAF to three, but the latest addition to the air fleet has yet to undergo a final update. Two F-60s are planned be sold. The RNLAF is interested in buying some C-17s, which if bought, will be stationed at the Eindhoven Air Base where all the Air Force's fixed-wing transport planes are stationed.

[edit] External links

[edit] General

• Official website of the Royal Netherlands Airforce
• World wide Military Information
• Current Order of Battle at Scramble
• Royal Netherlands Air Force

[edit] References

• Ministry of Defence considers purchasing C-17 transport planes (Dutch)
• Parliament Chamber Notes on buying C-130 and selling F-60 aircraft (Dutch)
• The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible sale to the Netherlands of CH-47F Chinook cargo helicopters (English)

Nederlandse Strijdkrachten (Military of the Netherlands)
under the command of the Ministry of Defense
Landmacht (Army) Marine (Navy) Luchtmacht (Air force) Marechaussee (Military Police)