When Holland announced that it is scrapping its two squadrons of P-3C aircraft to save money, Germany announced that the Netherlands is the "preferred partner" in that country's search for an affordable Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to replace its aging French Atlantique aircraft. The Dutch Defense Ministry has reportedly offered 10 of its Orions to replace Germany's current MPAs by late in 2004. Germany, France, and Italy have been involved in an ongoing search to replace the increasingly weary Atlantique. The reported price would be $34.8 million per aircraft. Germany is already in the process of evaluating an offer from France for six ATL-2 aircraft at an undisclosed price.
German procurement chief Jrg Kaempf requested an evaluation by autumn of the Dutch offer along with the French offer to sell six ATL-2s. However, both the price for the ATL-2s, and what equipment updates might be included, are not yet certain.
The announcement by Dutch Ministry of Defense's Henk Kamp that the Royal Netherlands Navy's Maritime Patrol Group will be liquidated, the P-3C Orions will be withdrawn from use (probably sold), and that Royal Netherlands Naval Air Station Valkenburg will be closed down came as a surprise, to say the least. Holland has long been one of the US' most committed partners in maritime patrol aviation. However, according to the Dutch MOD, a cut in the country's defense budget of $411 million per year will also result in closing-down Twenthe airbase and Fort Seedorf, a Dutch army base in Germany. Holland flies the P-3C Update II.5 aircraft, 13 of which were ordered from Lockheed in 1978 and the first of which were delivered in 1982. Since 1992 and the end of the Cold War, Dutch Orions have flown anti-narcotics operations over the Caribbean out of Hato Airfield on Curacao. Another ongoing mission has been fishery, pollution, and environmental-patrol on behalf of the Dutch Coast Guard, frequently flown over the Dutch territorial part of the North Sea. Since July 1992 Orions have been permanently detached to NAS Sigonella, Italy, where they are part of the multi-national "Operation Sharp Guard," patrolling the Adriatic Sea to maintain the UN embargo against former Yugoslavian states. Similar missions were flown over the area around Haiti in support of "Operation Support Democracy".
Original plans called for a P-3 "Capability Upkeep Program" (CUP-Orion) in the period 1997-2003, with $103 million having been reserved to upgrade the Dutch P-3Cs with replacement of the ASQ-114 central computer by the Paramax ASQ-212; installation of TI APS-137 ISAR, ALR-66 ESM, and replacement of the ARR-72 acoustic processor by the CDC UYS-503. Other plans included universal display and control stations. If Germany purchases some of these aircraft, it is unknown what upgrades may occur. -- K.B. Sherman