A look at the Defence news 27 January – 2 February
Jordan has set up a helicopter air bridge between Amman and war-torn Gaza. Multiple aircraft have been transporting relief goods since 28 January.
At the request of Jordan, two Dutch military specialists are involved in planning the flights and have been added to the international planning cell.
NATO taking over air force exercise Frisian Flag
The Royal Netherlands Air Force’s annual exercise Frisian Flag is of such a high standard that NATO has expressed the wish to conduct it under the NATO flag. This has been arranged, and the headquarters for all NATO air operations announced last week that the exercise will take place under the name of Ramstein Flag. Ramstein Flag will take place from 31 March to 11 April, on and from Leeuwarden Air Base.
Brekelmans calls for a more resilient Europe in space
At the European Space Conference in Brussels last week, Netherlands Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans called for increased investments in aerospace in order to make Europe less dependent on others for data and satellite capabilities. Politicians, policy makers and researchers discussed the future of the European aerospace industry at the two-day conference.
F-35s training for deployment from abroad
On 30 January, eight Dutch F-35s practised being rapidly deployable to and from foreign bases. Åmari Air Base in Estonia was used for this training. Take offs and landings were also used as teaching material for technical personnel, for example about the reception of ‘foreign’ aircraft, since in the Baltic state itself does not have any F-35s.
Air force facilitates F-16 ground personnel training for 26 Ukrainians
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence is contributing to the training of 26 Ukrainians to become F-16 crew chiefs. These technicians are responsible for the fighter aircraft prior to take off and after return to base. The training is taking place at an air base and will continue until the end of April. Netherlands Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans made this announcement in The Hague during a visit from his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov.
HNLMS Schiedam third navy vessel to head to Baltic Sea for NATO
The Royal Netherlands Navy mine hunter HNLMS Schiedam sailed from Den Helder last week, setting off to to the Baltic Sea where the vessel will be joining the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1. The main task of this fleet is to combat and dispose of explosives, such as sea mines.