fleet expansion dutch airforce

V-Bird · Post by **V-Bird** » 04 Jul 2005, 22:39

according to the 22.00lt radio 1 news:

Dutch airforce buy`s some additional fokker f-50`s from klc. The planes will be used as an patrol aircraft in the dutch islands in the caribbean. Also 2 fokker F-60`s ( stretched fokker f-50, only is use with the dutch airforce ) are converted to an flying radar an sonar plane. ( in use with drugs patrols ) Till january the first this was done by the dutch naval airforce, with the PC-3 Orion.

Also the dutch airforce rented some britisch nimrod patrol, and american E-8a patrol aircrafts for use in the carribean.

Photo: Converted Fokker F-60 ( notice the big radar dome under the fuselage )

http://photos.airliners.net/small/5/6/5/801565.jpg

B744skipper · Post by **B744skipper** » 05 Jul 2005, 10:06

What an idiots they are. :frusty:

First they decide to sell the P-3's, but then discover that they needed the capability those aircraft had afterall, and then they decide to buy replacement aircraft. That's a waste of money, they should have kept those P-3's in the first place. Before they sold them to Germany and Portugal, they even gave (some of them) an upgrade, paid for by the Dutch.

I really wonder what it will cost them now, to secure those capabilities (buying those Fokker-50's, converting them, renting Nimrod's and E-8A's patrol aircraft), then opposed to the continuation of operating the PC-3 Orion.

Those where the days:

http://www.zap16.com/images/P-3%20309.jpg

Togalock · Post by **Togalock** » 14 Jul 2005, 16:55

Altough I like the F-50 as an ex-F50 driver I don´t understand why they sold the legendary P3.
I think a P3 suits the job better.

Politics.

bigjulie · Post by **bigjulie** » 17 Jul 2005, 05:49

The RNZAF uses PC-3 Orions for their off-shore surveillance patrols. Their planes are or are about to be re-fitted out with the latest surveillance gear.