Netherlands to Arm F-35s, Naval Ships With US, Israeli Long-Range Weapons

Nearing its 14-month mark since Russia launched an invasion of its neighbor Ukraine, countries around the globe continue to rearm themselves with cutting-edge weaponry to combat emerging modern threats, as witnessed on the Ukrainian battlefield.

The Netherlands is among the European countries that have been busy reassessing and upgrading their defense capabilities, recently procuring American and Israeli-made weapons to address long-distance threats.

According to its defense ministry, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine demonstrates the importance of equipping various fire support, including short, medium, and long-range, on its land, air, and sea fortifications.

“With the new systems, the Ministry of Defense further substantiates NATO’s common combat power and deterrence,” Netherlands Defense State Secretary Christophe van der Maat stated. “This shows that the Netherlands is taking responsibility by making a strong contribution to this.”

“In addition, the Netherlands thus meets the wish to possess its own rocket artillery and long-range weapon, as described in the Defense Policy Document 2022,” he added.

Also called the Defense White Paper, this document details the increasing threat in Amsterdam and across Europe, assessing these emerging challenges and how armed forces of today and tomorrow can counter to keep and protect the “freedom, security, and prosperity” of one’s country stays intact.

Ramping up Long-Range Firepower

The Netherlands sought to strengthen its armed forces’ firepower and air defenses by obtaining this set of rocket artillery and long-range arms, notably for its navy ships and F-35 fighter jet fleet.

At present, the Dutch Navy’s warships “do not have armaments that are powerful enough and reach far enough to disable bunkers,” according to its defense ministry. Likewise, it lacks adequate air defense capabilities.

Its F-35 fleet, while well-armed with short-range weaponry to attack ground targets, lacks the long-range arms required to counter targets in the hinterlands, especially if they have effective air defenses.

The Netherlands plans to obtain the Precise and Universal Launch System (PULS) developed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli aerospace and defense firm, this year. This will be the country’s first modern rocket artillery acquisition in years, intending to improve the Dutch Army’s range, payload, and rapid target capabilities.

The service’s fire support system currently consists of armed howitzers capable of firing up to 50 kilometers (50,000 meters).

Earlier in the research phase, two systems that suited the Dutch criteria were considered, including the American High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the PULS system. The Dutch Army subsequently chose the latter since it could carry more payload and missiles were significantly cheaper than HIMARS. Most and future European ammunition manufacturers are also compatible with the PULS system.

Meanwhile, Netherlands’ defense ministry opted to acquire the American Tomahawk long-range, subsonic cruise missile for its frigates and submarines.

With this, the Dutch Navy’s ability to engage long-range targets will be enhanced, increasing its range beyond 1,000 km (621 miles) and having the redirection option even after being launched.

Lastly, Amsterdam will arm its F-35s and submarines with the American Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER), supplementing the subsonic Tomahawk cruise missiles onboard.

Lockheed Martin built the AGM-158 JASSM-ER for the US military in the late 1990s. It is a large, stealthy, long-range weapon with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) armor-piercing warhead capable of reaching up to 1,000 km (621 miles) range.

Other European countries employing the American long-range cruise missile include Germany, Finland, and Poland. Australia also selected the JASSM-ER to be mounted on its F/A-18 Hornet fighters, while South Korea expressed interest in an arms deal but was refused by Washington in 2013.

Long-Range: An Emerging Threat

Defense experts and analysts have identified long-range arms and weapons as an emerging threat in recent years.

It had evolved from the simple bow and arrow to destructive missiles with ranges previously unfathomable to mankind.

In a 2018 study, US Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified long-range assaults as a progressing long-term national security threat. It is estimated to grow further in the next five or more years, simultaneously noting that the exact timeframe remains unknown.

However, as you can see, several countries, mainly superpowers, have developed their respective powerful long-range arms, including adversaries Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.

And the war in Ukraine has only highlighted this, acting as the final straw to break the camel’s back, pushing most European countries to re-evaluate their respective defense and deterrence response.

Long-range hypersonic weapons (LRHW) are another burgeoning weaponry in modern warfare, prompting new competition between powerful nations in recent years.

Despite lagging behind Russia and China, the United States has made significant growth in arming its forces with hypersonic weapons, with recent developments reported by the US Army’s LRHW that can reach targets up to 2,776 km (1,725 mi).