Netherlands Infomation Services BV,
THE HAGUE: Defence State Secretary Cees van der Knaap plans to equip 36 F-16 fighter aircraft with Mode 5 IFF. It is too expensive to install the identification system in all F-16s that the Netherlands has available for NATO missions, he said in a letter to parliament.
The Netherlands has 72 F-16s available for NATO missions. It is operationally desirable to equip all of these with the new Mode 5 IFF system that NATO wants to introduce in 2012, according to the state secretary. But it is not cost-effective, because part of the F-16 fleet is expected to be replaced in 2015. This is why he only wants to equip half the fleet with the system.
The cabinet already announced earlier that it wants to cut the F-16 fleet to 87, including 15 for exercises and training. In 2010, the cabinet will make a decision on purchasing the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), intended to replace the F-16. In fact, the possibility of the cabinet eventually deciding to order different fighter aircraft can still not be ruled out, suggests Van der Knaap, although insiders deem this unlikely.
