The Netherlands To Procure Hellfire Missiles From the US for Apache Helicopters And MQ-9A Reaper Drones
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the US State Department has decided to approve a Foreign Military Sale to the Dutch Government worth an estimated $150 million for Hellfire missiles and related equipment. According to the agency, the necessary certification and related documents announcing the potential sale were delivered to the US Congress on February 2, 2024.
This potential sale includes 386 AGM-114R2 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. Other components of the package include technical assistance from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command’s (AMCOM) Security Assistance Management Directorate (SAMD), technical assistance from the Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions (TAGM) Project Office, and integration, logistics, and program support.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), “The proposed sale will improve the Netherlands’ capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats. This will contribute to its military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies. The Netherlands will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.” The agency also stated that the proposed sale would not change the basic military balance in the region.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, will be the prime contractor under the agreement. Successful execution of this potential sale will require an unspecified number of U.S. Government or contractor representatives to travel to the Netherlands for program management reviews.
Hellfires have been used by the Netherlands for a very long time. The Netherlands, which has purchased over 1000 Hellfire missiles from the United States since 1995, placed its last order on July 11, 2017. If the US Congress approves this new order, the Netherlands will use these missiles on Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters, which it decided to upgrade to E standard in 2018, as well as General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper (also known as Predator B) drones.