A look at the Defence news 5 – 11 February
HNLMS Holland back from Cyprus after 2.5 months on stand-by
Last week, HNLMS Holland returned to its home base in Den Helder. In mid-November, the patrol ship had left for the eastern part of the Mediterranean in connection with the unstable situation in the Middle East.
The crew was on standby to assist in the event of evacuations from Gaza. Although no actual operation took place, the crew has been far from inactive during the past 2 months. Apart from port visits, the ship's personnel fully prepared themselves for the possible task in hand. This included taking part in extensive exercises with allies.
Second air drop of relief goods over Gaza
Last week, for the second time the Netherlands airdropped relief goods into Gaza, together with Jordan. These goods were again intended for a Jordanian field hospital. This second airdrop was conducted a day after the first one, and was again done from C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The Defence organisation remains on stand-by to provide additional humanitarian support - including medical support - to Gaza wherever possible.
The Netherlands recalls F-16s from sale
The Netherlands has halted negotiations on the possible sale of 6 F-16 fighter aircraft. The State was in talks with Draken International. Both parties came to the conclusion that the sale and delivery of these F-16 aircraft would no longer proceed in the short term. The 6 aircraft have now been added to the 18 F-16s that are being readied for delivery to Ukraine. The remaining 18 aircraft are intended for an F-16 training centre in Romania.