Small, cheap, loyal. The Netherlands is investing in F-35 companion drones

The Netherlands has signed an agreement with the American army to cooperate in the development of unmanned combat fighters to support F-35 pilots in dangerous missions. This is the first such agreement within NATO, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday.

As reported by the “AD” daily, new unmanned planes are to accompany the Dutch F-35 in the future as the so-called “loyal wingers”. The drones, without a cockpit, will be equipped with advanced on-board computers and will perform tasks assigned by the pilots, such as jamming enemy radars, observing the area, precision bombing or shooting down enemy machines – after obtaining the operator's consent.

The technology is not fully ready yet, but – as “AD” notes – all the largest arms companies are working on similar projects. Boeing has already developed the Ghost Bat model, and Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the F-35, recently presented the Vectis drone. The American army is also testing machines from Anduril and General Atomics.

The advantage of the new system is not only increased pilot safety, but also lower costs. One F-35 fighter costs approximately EUR 90 million – for this amount it would be possible to purchase three unmanned equivalents. Drones are also cheaper to maintain and train because you can practice controlling them in simulators.

According to Jacco Dominicus from the Netherlands Aerospace Center, individual drones will specialize in different tasks, which will reduce production costs. “One device can carry missiles, another bombs – this is the key to keeping costs low,” explained the expert.

The Netherlands already has MQ-9 Reaper combat drones, operated from a base in Leeuwarden, but they are vulnerable to air defense systems. The new generation of unmanned aircraft is to have “stealth” features and equipment similar to the F-35.

The signing of the agreement by Secretary of State for Defense Gijs Tuinman will enable Dutch research institutes and companies to participate in the program to build a new generation of combat aircraft. “This is a chance for the Netherlands to be at the technological forefront of NATO,” Tuinman emphasized.

Patryk Kulpok from The Hague (PAP)

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