 |
| Drone wars cartoon slideshow: https://dronewars.net/no-laughing-matter/ |
(Nederlandse versie)
The Dutch air force is in the process of acquiring four General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones with ground stations at a cost of € 187 million. Anticipated deployment includes gathering intelligence during interventions/humanitarian operations and the support of civilian authorities.
The Dutch air force is in the process of acquiring four General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones with ground stations at a cost of € 187 million. Anticipated deployment includes gathering intelligence during interventions/humanitarian operations and the support of civilian authorities.
Dutch GKN Fokker is
rewarded for the Dutch acquisition with participation in the
production of the Reapers. Which makes the components covertly part
of all Reaper drones exports. Considering the fast growing popularity
of the drone and the erosion of the US arms export policy this might
evolve into a deadly but profitable business.
Killing machine
The Reaper
The Reaper is developed by General Atomics – Aeronautical Systems
(GA-ASI) and one of the larger types of drones. It can be armed with
four Hellfire-missiles and with guided bombs such as the GBU-12
Paveway II en GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). Camera's
are fitted, able to read e.g. signs of cars. The drone has become
famous and notorious by the elimination of terrorists and the killing
of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.
The
MQ-9 Reaper originated from the Predator drone, but has another tail
and is bigger. It is called
Reaper for a reason: although it is fitted with the same surveillance equipment as the
Predator it is much more of a
hunter-killer design. Some have called it the first fielded Unmanned
Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV),” or
expressed
differently:
“the primary offensive strike
drone for the United States military.”
Unarmed at the battle
field
Reaper drones are
used by a number of countries (see table), armed or unarmed. The
drones are helpful tools during natural disasters, like floods,
forest fires and hurricanes. Predator and Reaper
drone are also used by the US to control its border with Canada
and Mexico
to control the movements of people (migrants,
refugees).
The Netherlands
version is “not
armed, yet,” as a Dutch newspaper wrote,
understanding the self propelling dynamcis of arms acquistions driven
by the invisible hand of the Ministry of Defence, and helped by the
right to center parties VVD
and CDA, who are in favour of fitting missiles
to the Reapers. They will be used for Intelligence gathering,
Surveillance and Reconnaissance (getting information about enemy
forces or positions) together abbreviated as ISR. ISR is a central
part of modern warfare and drones like the Reaper fit into this
development. In his book Kill Chain (London, New York: Verso, 2015)
Andrew Cockburn describes in detail how the position of a SIM-card
was picked up by a drone and the owner killed. Unfortunately this was
not the terrorist the US Special Forces thought it was, but a
campaigner for a candidate in the Afghan parliamentary elections,
who was killed because he had the wrong GSM in his hands.
Fokker and drones
 |
| https://static.thisdayinaviation.com/.../2018/03/090716-F-1234K-007.jpg |
Dutch Fokker has a
long history connected to the idea of drones. Today's remotely
piloted aircraft like Predator and Reaper exist “because
of research and development done in the late 1930s.” The
pioneers used
in 1937 a Fokker C-14B. Nowadays two Fokker divisions (part of Fokker/GKN) are involved in
producing Reaper parts. Fokker
in Hoogeveen is participating since 2016 in production and
sustainment of Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper landing gear subsystems.
Fokker Helmond produces the
landing gear systems for the Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Fokker delivered its first landing gear in spring 2017 and expects to
produce 30-50
landing gear systems a year. “GKN
Aerospace’s Fokker business unit and Dutch industry will play a
critical role in the expanding Predator-series market,” General
Atomics warns us on
future drones exports.
Dutch production and
technology
Fokker
itself promotes it position by underlining
that
it
also involves sub suppliers (KNWE
and VDL GL Precision). In total
about
10 Dutch SME’s are
involved
in the supply chain. A
General
Atomics press release cites the CEO of the Dutch
Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), Michel
Peters “It’s a great opportunity for NLR to work together with GA-ASI on extending
the existing European regulations on RPA usage in civilian airspace.”
Dutch
Royal Ten Cate was mentioned
earlier (2013)as
producer of airframe parts for the Reaper
drone. The
company reported: “At the
beginning of 2012, TenCate Advanced Composites in the United States
of America received a Supplier Excellence Award from General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems. (...) TenCate has supplied composite prepregs
for this company’s unmanned vehicle system programmes.” But
since that report it is silent around the relationship between the
Dutch company and General Atomics.
One
of the othe
companies working with GA-ASI on
the MQ-9B is European missile producer MBDA ( having
a financial holding in the Netherlands).
But GKN Fokker is the main beneficiary of the Dutch acquisition.
Compensation
Crucial
for Fokker's position is its knowledge of composite-based matériel,
making the aircraft light, expanding the endurance and flight range.
But the cooperation is also the result of an
anticipated Dutch industrial and regional benefit obligation
associated with the potential procurement of the drones by the Dutch
armed forces. A quid
pro quo mechanism
with similarities to a mechanisms formerly known as offsets and
compensation and nowadays often called industrial participation.
General
Atomics and Fokker have
been working together for several years to offer Predator B to the
Dutch Armed Forces.” The
position for Fokker as contributor to the Reaper program has a strong
link with Dutch MoD acquisition policy.
Free for all?
The landing gear is
made by Fokker for armed and unarmed Reapers; for Reapers used by the
French in Mali and for those used by the US in Afghanistan. The
drones will be assembled in the US and the US will make the final
decision on re-export. This collaboration by Fokker in the program
opens a box of questions. Is India a problem as destination, because
of its conflict with Pakistan? Is the United Arab Emirates, one of
the most active in the Yemen war, acceptable for the Dutch government
as an export destination? Or is The Hague simply hiding behind the
formal argument: 'we will not control our allies and the US has its
own arms export policy,' closing the box of questions by one sweep?
This hide out is a convenient position for the Netherlands, because
72 per cent of all Dutch military exports concern components
for larger weapon systems.The other way
around considerations are on a much lower level, European allies must
follow the US export policy or face the juridical and financial
consequences.
The US deploys its
Reaper drones to conflicts like Ukraine
and Yemen
and in the War on Terrorism. Those US drone deployments are notorious
and destabilise countries and regions. Does the Netherlands agree
with this use of armed drones? Or is the Dutch government hoping
nobody will ever ask the question if Dutch Fokker products are meant
for the killing machines.
Country
|
type
|
No.
Armed y/n/some
|
Tasks
(not extensively)
|
Australia
|
-
y
|
Project
AIR 7003
by Team Reaper Australia will provide an armed,
Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) drone that will be
fully-interoperable with Australia's allies.
|
|
Belgium
|
MQ-9B
Sky Guardian
|
n
|
Negotiations
to purchase
a pair of medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air vehicles.
The government has approved the start of negotiations with the USA
over the requirement. Belgium describes them as "reconnaissance"
assets, suggesting that they will not carry weapons.
|
France
|
MQ-9
Reaper
|
6
n (y)
|
To
support deployed troops, regional
security, and interoperability with the US. Provides battlefield
situational awareness, anticipates enemy intent, augments combat
search and rescue, and provides ground troop support.
y:
MilBal2018, p. 73: Summer 2017 saw the French defence ministry
announce that its Reapers would be armed in the short term –
potentially with Hellfire or Brimstone missiles.
|
India
|
Guardian
|
-
some
|
The
military wants them for
surveillance and to hunt down targets at land and sea.
|
Italian
|
9
MQ-9A Reaper
5
RQ-1B Predator
|
9
n
5
n
|
They
will probably be involved in High
Value Target surveillance and Reconnaissance (maybe SOF support).
MilBal2018, p. 73: In 2015 the US authorised Italy to arm its MQ-9
Reapers with Hellfire missiles, although it remains unclear
whether this has been carried out.
|
Morocco
|
Predator-A
|
4
|
|
NL
|
MQ-9
Reaper
|
4
n
|
To
be deployed to collect intelligence
in support of military and civilian authorities (see text).
|
Spain
|
MQ-9
Reaper
|
4
n
|
Missions
will include terrestrial and
maritime identification, surveillance, reconnaissance, target
acquisition, combat support missions, electronic warfare,
chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear detection,
improvised explosive devices recognition and rescue and air rescue
support operations.
|
UAE
|
Predator
XP/RQ-1E
|
-
n
|
Predator
XP (known in the UAE as RQ-1E) includes
an automatic takeoff and landing capability, redundant flight
control surfaces, enhanced avionics, triple-redundant flight
control computers, high-definition Electro-optical Infrared
(EO/IR) camera sensor, and a wide-area search radar system for
both overland and maritime surveillance. The aircraft is also
equipped with both Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Beyond Line-of-Sight
(BLOS) data link systems for over-the-horizon operations. Gulf
News states: GA-ASI is not
authorised to sell the weaponized MQ-9 model to a number of
countries, including the UAE.
|
UK
|
Protector
RG.1
(MQ-9B)
|
20
y
|
Offering
twice the endurance of the 10 Reapers
it replaces the new type is expected to carry MBDA Brimstone
air-to-surface missiles and Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided
bombs.
|
US
|
Predators:
US Air Combat Command (ACC); Air Education and Training
Command; Air National Guard
Reapers: Air Combat Command (ACC); Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC); and Air National Guard and for the US Department of Homeland Security, and NAS |
||
Note:
On the wiki page on the Predator also Turkey is mentioned. But the
deal
has never materialised.
(see also Hürriyet)
|
|||
Written for / Geschreven voor Stop Wapenhandel
