Dutch Close to Approving F-35 Production Participation

Getting there…(click to view full) DID’s Benelux reader David Vandenberghe offers us translations and links to a number of Dutch documents and speeches re: their continued participation in the F-35 Lightning II/ Joint Strike Fighter program. The Netherlands is a Tier II JSF partner, and like other partners they needs to decide if they wish to remain part of the F-35 JSF consortium into the production phase. Though Parliamentary approval has not yet been given, their Ministry of Defense notes [release in Dutch] that the Council of Ministers has approved ongoing participation. David provides us with translations and additional source material re: the Netherlands’ decision, its economic implications, and its expected defense needs. His comments and translations follow below, edited and reorganized for clarity: F-35A head-on(click to view full) The MINDEF release, in brief: The Dutch Council of Ministers has decided to participate in the next phase of the JSF development after a proposal by Secretary of defense Van der Knaap and Secretary of economic affairs Van Gennip. If parliament agrees the Dutch government will sign a MoU with the US in November 2006 for the Production Sustainment and Follow-On Development Phase. The decision to eventually acquire the JSF will […]