THE HAGUE --- Defense is purchasing ammunition to arm the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft MQ-9 Reaper. The need for this was already made known in the 2022 Defense Memorandum. It is now being followed up, State Secretary Christophe van der Maat wrote to the House of Representatives today.
When the Ministry of Defense started the MQ-9 Reaper project in 2011, there was no need to arm the aircraft. However, the threat picture has changed considerably since then. The aircraft must now be able to protect the safety of its own troops. In addition, Defense wants to maintain the initiative in the deployment of the MQ-9.
Arming the aircraft ensures that the speed and flexibility of a deployment is increased. Data from the MQ-9 does not need to be transferred to other weapon systems. This ensures a shorter response time and thus reduced operational risk. The aim is to have the first ammunition ready for initial deployment by 2025. It can be fully deployed in 2028.
Technically prepared
The new aircraft arriving in 2026 do not need to be modified for armament. They are already technically prepared for that. The current four MQ-9s do need to be modified. Furthermore, the ammunition is not new in terms of use. These are laser-guided GBU bombs that are already on the F-35 and air-to-surface Hellfire missiles for the Apache. Compared to the ammunition of the combat helicopters, this is a newer variant.
Procurement goes through the US government, through so-called Foreign Military Sales (FMS). The Netherlands is in line with France, which is also an FMS partner and works with the same configuration. The project is worth between € 100 and 250 million.
Not an autonomous weapon
Technically, weapons deployment from an MQ-9 is no different than that from a manned attack platform. It is not a fully autonomous weapon. In all cases, qualified personnel decide on deployment. The crew operates from a ground station.
The MQ-9 can be deployed in mission areas where other Defense weapon systems are not (or cannot be) always present. The unmanned system is currently being tested on Curaçao. It helps there, for example, to support civil authorities or for investigation and supervision.
-ends-
