| Joint Strike Fighter The Netherlands, which had participated in the Concept Development
Phase of JSF since June 1997, now becomes a level-2 partner in the System Development and
Demonstration (SDD) phase. This represents an investment of $ 800 million over the next 10
years, which will be funded by both government and industry.
Before reaching this important decision, the Netherlands conducted a multi-year rigorous
technical and financial analysis of potential candidates to replace its F-16s. In the
final assessment the JSF ranked first. The Joint Strike Fighter is slated to replace the
Royal Netherlands Airforce F-16s. Dutch participation in the JSF project further
reinforces the outstanding cooperation between the United States and the Netherlands from
which the successful multinational F-16 program is an key example. Coalition
interoperability proved its value during the Gulf War, the Kosovo-crisis (where Dutch
F-16s took part in the operations and shot down a MIG 29), and the current Operation
Enduring Freedom.
The Dutch Parliament, by an overwhelming majority, endorsed the Cabinet’s decision for the
Netherlands to participate in the development of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). This
participation further tightens the military and industrial cooperation between the USA and
the Netherlands.
Participation on level 2 enables Dutch industry to contribute substantially to the
development and production of the JSF. This secures a work package of a high technological
content for the Dutch aerospace cluster. International cooperation is highly favored in
the Netherlands. The Netherlands is the second largest foreign investor in the United
States and one of the top trading partners with the U.S.
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