The Royal Netherlands Army (RNA) is in the process of transforming one of its two heavy brigades into a motorised unit with 44 BAE Hagglunds CV9035NL IFVs already having been sold to Estonia whereas another 44 to be withdrawn from operational service. These vehicles will then be used for training purposes, for part reclamation and to compensate for a number of peacetime losses. Originally having received 192 CV90s, including eight driver training vehicles, the operational CV9035NLs that will remain are part of the 43rd Mechanised Brigade based in Havelte. With the RNA eager to reintroduce an MBT capability, a German-Netherlands armour unit is currently being stood up, the 414th Armour Battalion in Bergen-Hohne, which will become operational in 2019. It has been agreed with Germany that the Netherlands will hand over its 16 remaining LEOPARD 2A6 MBTs that are currently in store with these vehicles to be inducted into the LEOPARD 2A7 upgrade programme. In their turn, the Dutch will lease back 18 LEOPARD 2A7s in order to form a company manned by Dutch personnel with the entire 43rd Mechanised Brigade to be integrated into the German Army's 1st Armoured Division. The Dutch are meanwhile looking to procure 45 new protection sets for their CV90 fleet. These sets will likely combine passive and reactive armour with a hard kill system. Trials are to be conducted in 2016 with procurement planned to take place in the 2020-2023 timeframe.
展开▼
