A look at the Defence news 23 - 29 September
In the air, on or below the water's surface: drones, drones and more drones. Twenty-five NATO countries tested the large-scale deployment of these unmanned systems in maritime operations in recent weeks.
The testing was done off the coast of the Portuguese town of Sesimbra in the Algarve, and of the peninsula of Tróia, just south of Lisbon. The Royal Netherlands Navy took part with amphibious transport ship HNLMS Johan de Witt. The Mine Countermeasures Module Group also contributed with support ship Geosea and various water drones.
F-35 now fully taking over the tasks of the F-16
Guarding Benelux airspace, conducting operations to contain terrorism or contributing to NATO's nuclear deterrence: the F-35 can be deployed for all these tasks. Since 26 September, this type of fighter aircraft has officially been fully operational in all circumstances. In jargon we call this Full Operational Capability.
HNLMS Dolfijn sneaking through northern waters for NATO
HNLMS Dolfijn monitored submarines and military ships that are not part of the NATO alliance. This was done in the Norwegian Sea and the northern part of the North Sea region in preparation for the possible need to defend the allied treaty area. The monitoring mission lasted almost a month.
Navy vessel forces two drugs transports to stop within three hours
For the third week in a row, HNLMS Holland was successful in the Caribbean. Within three hours, the navy vessel intercepted two go-fasts (fast motor boats) near the ABC Islands. Seven suspects were arrested and approximately 1,800 kilos of cocaine were seized.