The Quest for Relevant Air Power

ROYAL NETHERLANDS Air Force │ 261
upon the chartering of IL-76 and An-124s for transport flights,
these measures still needed to take full effect. 204
In the field of rotary wing air mobility, the Defence White Paper
1991 put a high premium upon battlefield mobility. Accordingly,
it was decided to establish an air mobile brigade, which should be
able to participate in crisis management operations outside the
NATO treaty area. 205 In line with this, the 1993 Defence Priorities
Review announced the procurement of 13 heavy CH-47 Chinook
transport helicopters and 17 lighter transport helicopters, which
later turned out to be French Cougar helicopters. 206 The order of
13 Chinook transport helicopters included seven secondhand
Chinooks from Canada and six new machines from Boeing. The
ex-Canadian helicopters underwent an MLU programme and
have been operational since 1996. Delivery of the French Cougar
transport helicopters started in 1996. 207
After two Chinooks were lost in 2005, the MOD ordered six
CH-47Fs to augment the RNLAF’s Chinook fleet to 17 aircraft. As
of 2009, it was planned to supplement the transport helicopter
fleet with eight NH90s. As a consequence, the fleet will slightly fall
short of the 2004 MOD capacity review, which foresaw a requirement
of 20 Chinooks, 17 Cougars, and 10 NH90s. 208
Combat Helicopters
These transport helicopters were to be augmented with combat
helicopters. In November 1996, the RNLAF received 12 AH-64A
Apaches on lease from the US Army. They would be operated until
the delivery of 30 AH-64D Apaches had been completed. The
leasing of US Army AH-64As allowed Dutch crews and mechanics
to familiarise themselves with the system. Together with the
Chinooks and Cougars, the Apaches form the RNLAF THG. 209 In
July 1998, the first AH-64D arrived in the Netherlands, and by
May 2002, the delivery of the new Apaches was completed. 210 During
the combat helicopter evaluation process, the Netherlands received
four offers, two from the United States and two from Europe.
It finally boiled down to a decision between the AH-64D
Apache and the Franco-German Tiger combat helicopter. Weighing
heavily against the Tiger was that neither Germany nor France
had yet signed production contracts. Finally, in early 1995, the
cabinet decided in favour of the Apache. The earlier availability of