The Dutch government published its latest defence white paper on March 26. For the first time in decades, the defence budget will be increased significantly, up to an extra €1.5 billion a year. The white paper shed some light on the plans for the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, Royal Netherlands Air Force) in the next 15 years. Although not many details were provided in the document, which will be revised in 2020, it did contain several plans that have not been published before. These include replacement of the single Gulfstream IV VIP jet of Eindhoven-based 334 Squadron in 2022 and conformation that the two C-130H and two C-130H-30 Hercules of co-located 336 Squadron will be replaced from 2031 on. The recently upgraded fleet of 13 Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainers operated by 131 EMVO Squadron at Woensdrecht Air Base is scheduled for replacement in 2025-2026. Delivery of four RQ-98 Reaper medium-altitude long-range unmanned aerial vehicles to 306 Squadron at Leeuwarden Air Base is now foreseen for 2021-2022, with a final decision on their acquisition expected in the course of this year.
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