Netherlands selects MQ-9 Reaper

mehrotraprince

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Netherlands selects MQ-9 Reaper



The Netherlands is to purchase four General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related ground stations, the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 21 November.

The first Reaper should be fully operational in 2016, the last the following year. As opposed to MQ-9/RQ-9 Reapers in service with the US Air Force and the UK Royal Air Force, the Dutch version will not be armed, although this could change in the future "with a minimum of modification", the MoD stated.

The Reaper was the only system available, the MoD said, that met its requirement to conduct surveillance-missions with an endurance "exceeding 24 hours". The sensor load will be as standard for the platform: electro-optic infrared, synthetic-aperture radar, and ground moving target indicator, but will also include a special Dutch requirement to equip the UAVs with "a ground and surface radar with larger coverage" than standard and a specialised signals intelligence package.

Although no contract value has been made public, the deal will be conducted through the Foreign Military Sales programme.

In June General Atomics teamed up Fokker Technologies to provide maintenance and other support services for the MQ-9 Reaper.

The Dutch MoD's process to acquire a MALE UAV has been circuitous. At the beginning of the previous decade, an initiative was launched to co-develop with France a MALE UAV based on an Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Heron system, but these plans were abandoned in 2006.

The MQ-9 Reaper has since been understood to be favourite for the requirement. There's no word yet on where the four Reapers will be stationed.

Netherlands selects MQ-9 Reaper - IHS Jane's 360
 

TrueSpirit1

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So, all this while, MQ-9 was up for sale ?

Or, is it because of some special privilege due to NATO relationship ?
 

Blackwater

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What do the Dutch need this for, to keep the birds away from their tulip fields?
dutch are imp NATO member state and home for american nukes missile

dutchies are very close to USA after UK
 

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