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Monday, 21 September 2009, 07:38 C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000568 SIPDIS EO 12958 DECL: 09/17/2019 TAGS MARR, MOPS, NATO, PINS, PREL, NL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/JSF: CONCERN ABOUT SECOND ENGINE REF: A. THE HAGUE 271 B. THE HAGUE 264 C. THE HAGUE 543 Classified By: POLECON Counselor Andrew C. Mann for reasons 1.5(b,d) Summary This cable relays concerns from the US embassy in the Hague that unless greater US support is giving to the development of a second engine for the Joint Strike Fighter, it might jeopardise Dutch involvement in the project...

The Netherlands expects to ramp up production spending for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter significantly in 2014, according to budget projections submitted to parliament. The latest update the defense ministry is providing to legislators on the planned F-35 purchase shows spending on the system design and development (SDD) phase will wrap up in 2012, with €11.6 million ($15.6 million) and €1.1 million to be spent over the next two years. Additionally, the Dutch government has set aside €8.5 million in 2011 and €3 million in 2012 to complete solely Dutch-financed SDD initiatives. The budget forecast also shows €126.3 million in...

The costs of the Joint Strike Fighter, the US fighter jet which is to replace the ageing Dutch fleet of F-16s, will be 1.4 billion euros higher than the original estimate. This is an increase of 20 percent over the amount of 6.2 billion euros which the government initially expected would buy 85 JSF planes. Parliament expressed shock at the increase, particularly at a time when the government has announced 18 billion euros’ worth of budget cuts. On Thursday, Defence Minister Hans Hillen wrote in a letter to parliament that the higher costs are partly due to delays in the...

The Royal Netherlands Air Force will soon resume F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot training here at Tucson International Airport after a five-year absence.Dutch pilots were the first in a long line of international students to ever train with the 162nd Fighter Wing. Starting in 1989, they were a mainstay program at the Arizona Air National Guard unit for 18 years until they moved to Springfield, Ohio, for a five-year agreement to train with the Ohio Air National Guard's 178th Fighter Wing. "We have a long and very successful history with the Dutch. We're looking forward to reestablishing our relationship with their...