WILLEMSTAD, LEUWAARDEN- A milestone in the history of the Dutch armed forces: an MQ-9 Reaper has made its first training flight. This happened today from Curaçao, where the Air Force will test the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in the coming period. The favorable weather conditions and availability of the airspace create the perfect conditions for this. In addition, the unit can directly collect intelligence in support of (military) organizations in the Caribbean.
The Reaper was piloted by a pilot and sensor operator from a ground station during a 2-hour flight. The system uses a satellite connection for this. The 40-strong detachment will now start working on the so-called operational test & evaluation phase. Commander 306 Squadron Lieutenant Colonel Boudewijn Roddenhof: “We are testing the aircraft and ground station, but also the radar and cameras. We use this to test our operating concept in practice and discover where the limits lie. We arrange the associated procedures as efficiently as possible.”
All over the world
The squadron basically has the rest of the year for this phase. After that, the unit can be used 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. That is possible anywhere in the world. The Air Force flies the missions from home base Leeuwarden. From there most pilots and sensor operators do their work. Only a small detachment consisting of a few pilots, sensor operators, mechanics and IT specialists is then stationed in the deployment area. In this case it is adjacent to Hato airport. “In the long run, the flight crew on location only takes care of the take-off and landing of the aircraft,” explains Roddenhof. “The crew in the Netherlands carries out the mission. I expect we'll be able to operate that way sometime in the second half of the year. The infrastructure at Leeuwarden should be ready for that.”
Ready to deploy
The (information) weapon system can observe for a long time, both over land and at sea. This is completely in line with the Ministry of Defense's wish to act in an information-driven manner. As soon as the unit with the aircraft is ready for deployment, it will in principle support the Commander of the Navy in the Caribbean, the local authorities and the Coast Guard. Roddenhof: “One of the main tasks of the Commander of the Navy in the Caribbean is to promote the international legal order and stability. We can provide information for this. Based on this, people are better able to determine which resources are deployed during counter-drug operations, for example.”
Four devices
In the coming period, 2 more MQ-9s will be built in Curaçao and used for the test and evaluation phase. The fourth device is still in the United States. There it will undergo the final acceptance and transfer tests over the next 2 months. The MQ-9 will then come to the Netherlands with 2 ground stations. The aircraft will remain in storage at Leeuwarden Air Base for the time being. Both ground stations will be made operational in the second half of the year. From that moment on, the aircraft over the Caribbean can also be controlled from Leeuwarden.
