Netherlands orders Caracal helicopters for special operations

The aircraft will be housed at Gilze-Rijen Air Base in the south of Netherlands and reportedly replace the Netherlands’ current fleet of 12 AS532U2 Cougar medium multipurpose helicopters.

The new aircraft order, with European manufacturer Airbus Helicopters, is in line with a Ministry of Defense memorandum published last year to strengthen special operations capability for deployment on land and at sea.

We schaffen 14 helikopters voor speciale operaties aan. Daarmee gaan we met een squadron van de @Kon_Luchtmacht ook Special Operations Forces (SOF) Air capaciteit leveren. De nieuwe helikopter volgt de Cougar-transporthelikopters van @dhcluchtmacht op. ➡️ https://t.co/f4VvXzSP6t pic.twitter.com/s1WLbwVbSe

— Christophe van der Maat (@DefensieStas) June 5, 2023

The purchase also includes equipment for the helicopters and simulation equipment for education and training. The Airbus H225M is already in use by France, Brazil, Indonesia, Kuwait, and Malaysia.

State Secretary Christophe van der Maat said the Dutch Ministry of Defence will also purchase new advanced anti-radiation guided missile-extended range for the F-35 fighter jets from the American manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

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Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.