The Netherlands and the United Kingdom have agreed to jointly procure new amphibious transport ships. The Netherlands has also joined ten NATO allies in investing in the replacement of the Alliance’s AWACS airborne early warning aircraft.
In addition, the Netherlands will lead a European initiative for the co-production, scaling-up and maintenance of US-made missile systems, including Stinger, AMRAAM and PAC-3 missiles.
The agreements were signed on 7 July during the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum (NSDIF), held as part of the NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye. The initiatives are intended to strengthen NATO burden sharing while boosting European defence capabilities, the Dutch economy and the defence industry.
Also read: Dutch Navy trials uncrewed systems in the North Sea
Joint procurement and production
The agreements focus on pooling demand and jointly procuring defence equipment within NATO, creating economies of scale and improving interoperability. The Netherlands has joined both a US-led and a Norwegian-led coalition for the joint procurement of specific types of ammunition.
Together with Germany, the Netherlands will establish a European co-production capability for Stinger surface-to-air missiles. It has also signed an agreement to explore the joint production of AMRAAM missiles.
In addition, the Netherlands is leading a coalition with Germany, Poland and Sweden to establish Europe’s first maintenance facility for several types of PAC-3 missiles used by the Patriot air defence system. The four countries signed a letter of intent for the project during the NSDIF.
Also read: TU Delft gets defence innovation centre
Amphibious transport ships and critical raw materials
The Netherlands and the UK will jointly acquire new amphibious transport ships to support military operations at sea and ashore. The Dutch government has earmarked between EUR 1 billion and EUR 2.5 billion for the programme.
The Netherlands has also joined a coalition focused on securing critical raw materials for the defence industry. The partnership covers stockpiling, joint procurement, processing, storage and transport, with the aim of improving supply security.
Also read: Dutch Defence Strategy prioritises unmanned systems
Multinational satellite network
The allies are also exploring the development of a multinational satellite network, known as HALO, to improve connectivity between military and commercial satellite systems. The network is intended to enable faster and more secure data exchange.
Picture: Flags of all NATO member states arranged in a circle (photo by the Dutch Ministry of Defence).
