As part of the total renewal of the aircraft fleet of the Dutch Coast Guard, two Leonardo AW189 helicopters and many other aircraft from De Havilland Canada DHC-8-102 maritime patrol.

On 3 November, the Dutch Coast Guard coastguard officially received two new aircraft and two helicoptersas part of a ceremony that took place at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, the main airport in the Netherlands.

In particular, two Canadian-designed Bombardier (currently De Havilland Canada) DHC-8-102 or Dash 8 aircraft have been included in their maritime patrol variant or Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), which will be operated and maintained by a civil consortium called ISR Support Europe, the entity’s acronym corresponds to Intelligence, Surveillance and Exploration, which in Spanish translates as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance. For this they are, in collaboration with the crews of the coastguardfrom Schiphol, to patrol mainly over the North Sea.

The Coast Guard’s new DHC-8-102 MPA (Photo Coast Guard)

The two aforementioned Dash 8s, which received registrations PH-CGD (c/n 028, ex C-GCFC) and PH-CGE (c/n 038, ex C-GCFE), replace two experienced German Dornier Do228 aircraft , which are operated by 334 Squadron of the Royal Netherlands Air Force of Royal Airforce (KLu) for years in favor of the Coast Guard. The Dornier’s last operational mission was conducted on Monday, October 31, 2022.

The introduction of the Dash 8 not only marks a huge leap in technology and capabilities, but also marks the end of KLu’s full involvement with the Dash 8. coastguard, through a privatization of the service. Both Dorniers will soon be offered for sale by the Defense Materiel Organization of Defense Materiel Organization (DMO) of the Netherlands. However, the Ministry of Defense remains the coast guard, assigning some of its officers to perform command duties of the service’s ships and aircraft.

Leonardo AW189

i respect the helicoptersthe two twin-engined Leonardo AW189 they are already operated by the firm Bristow from Den Helder airport (northern Netherlands), adjacent to the main base of the Royal Netherlands Navy; and Midden Zeeland Airport, west of this NATO and EU country.

Veteran Dornier Do-228 was recently discharged from his missions in favor of the Coast Guard (Photo Dornier)

The Leonardo AW189registered as PH-NCG (c/n 92001, ex G-MCGN) and PH-SAR (c/n 89015, ex I-RAIW), replace the same number of Airbus helicopters AS365 Dauphinwhich have been supplied for years by the company Noordzee Helicopters Vlaanderen (NHV), based on the aforementioned aviation facilities Den Helder and Pistoolhaven, located near Rotterdam.

Compared to its predecessor, the AW189 can carry 19 people against 12 on the AS365 on rescue and rescue missions or Search and Red (HE),. It also has a much greater range, evidenced by the fact that the PH-SAR flew non-stop from its Leonard, where it is manufactured, from Vergiate, near Milan (Italy), to Den Helder on October 28, 2022. For example, since November 4, the powerful rotary-wing aircraft of Leonard, They have already taken over the SAR function from the above airports, in the broad area of ​​responsibility of the Amsterdam-based government. (Julio Maz Sanz)