Overview
- Dutch State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman signed a letter of intent in Washington on Oct. 16, granting what he called “total access” to the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, including data sharing and input on needs specific to Europe.
- The effort targets unmanned aircraft that will fly alongside Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35s to extend sensors, add weapons capacity, and take on high-risk tasks, with reported unit costs around one-third of an F-35.
- Tuinman said operational concepts could pair two drones with each fighter and suggested demand could surpass 1,000 aircraft, as international participation is expected to expand in upcoming CCA increments.
- In a separate agreement, General Atomics and Dutch partner VDL Defentec will co-develop small ISR drones, with a first flight targeted before year-end and low-rate production and entry into service planned for 2026 in the U.S. and the Netherlands.
- Dutch officials frame the move as a response to rising drone activity near NATO airspace and increasingly lethal air defenses, while building domestic manufacturing capacity through transatlantic industry cooperation.