Unmanned systems: the Netherlands aims to boost drone production through a national consortium

The Netherlands is stepping up the pace in producing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Such unmanned systems are to be built in a strong national consortium comprising high-tech companies, research institutions and the armed forces.

A presentation at the barracks in Oirschot highlighted how unmanned systems are becoming increasingly decisive for military operations – from reconnaissance missions and intelligence gathering to precision strikes. Although the armed forces currently have only a limited number of UAS, the need to expand is reportedly enormous. The army is therefore to invest more in state-of-the-art equipment and scale up the production of technologically advanced UAS “in order to become a leader in this sector”, it was said.

Unmanned systems: the State Secretary's appeal

The “Bedrijvendag Ecosysteem UAS” was opened by State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman in a video message. He stressed: “If we want to be prepared for the future, we must fully master unmanned aircraft systems. And that has to happen now!”

This clear appeal shows how urgently action is needed to keep military readiness assured through the continuous expansion of state-of-the-art unmanned capabilities.