National Experiences - British Commission for Military History

a Ce n t u ry o f mi l i ta ry av i at i o n in t H e ne t H e r l a n d s, 1911-2011 223
Two F-16s land at Leeuwarden Air Base. The fighter Squadrons 322 and 323 have
been stationed at Leeuwarden for several decades.
the Fokker 60s and 50s were replaced by two additional C-130s and one DC-10.
Thanks to this transformation, the scope and range of action of the air transport fleet
was substantially increased. The KDC-10, a strategic air transport aircraft, is not
only capable of transporting a maximum payload of 65,000 kg over transatlantic distances,
it also has air-to-air refuelling (AAR) capabilities. Owing to the KDC-10, the
range of action of the Dutch F-16s increased considerably, both in (longer) training
flights and in operational flights at larger distances from the Netherlands.
The helicopter fleet underwent a similar metamorphosis in the 1990s. The Alouettes
and Bölkows were replaced by three Augusta Bell AB 412SPs (for the Search
and Rescue task), 13 Boeing CH-47 Chinooks, 17 Eurocopter AS 532-U2 Cougars
and 30 Boeing AH-64D Apaches. The new composition and the increased possibilities
for deployment of the helicopter fleet necessitated a far-reaching restructuring
of the organisation, which, in July 2008, would result in the establishment of the
Defence Helicopter Command (DHC), an all-Services command in which all helicopters
were integrated, including those of the Royal Netherlands Navy. With the
arrival of the DHC, where the higher-echelon maintenance was concentrated, the
armed forces had at its disposal a single central point of contact for helicopters; this
was to ensure a faster and more effective deployment.
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the four main weapon systems used by the
RNLAF were all to be deployed in peacekeeping and peace-enforcement operations.