F-35 Logistics/Warehousing

It was announced this week that the Netherlands has won the RFI for the F-35 Logistics/Warehousing. We are proud to announce that this includes Neele-Vat.

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Netherlands benefits fully from F-35 acquisition

The Netherlands will store all spare parts for all F-35 aircraft in Europe. The U.S. Department of Defense announced this today. This involves the storage, shipment, and management of spare parts for more than four hundred F-35s for the coming decades. The Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Woensdrecht Logistics Center (LCW) will handle the storage of the parts. In addition, some 70 Dutch companies will benefit from this initiative.

Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert received the good news yesterday at the Pentagon from her US counterpart James Mattis himself. The boss of the F-35 program, Vice Admiral Mathias Winter, later briefed her on the details

"After years of political discussion, we now see that the decision to choose the F-35 as the successor to the F-16 also more than lives up to expectations economically. Operationally the best aircraft and it also creates orders for Dutch business. Wonderful news for the Netherlands, and a compliment also to Dutch industry. It is illustrative of the cooperation between government and industry and the quality of our companies, on a day with such good news about economic growth."

Ministry responded

Minister Kamp (Economic Affairs) also welcomed the news: "The arrival of the European distribution center for F35 components confirms and further strengthens the position of the Netherlands as a distribution country. This is good for our employment and is expected to generate several hundred millions in additional turnover for our distribution sector."

The companies will be involved in spare parts management. The driving force behind winning this contract is OneLogistics. This partnership of Dutch companies from the Top Sector Logistics, knowledge institutions and the ministries of Defense, Economic Affairs and Infrastructure and Environment has been working to bring this work to the Netherlands. The competition for spare parts storage and logistics began in 2016. The Netherlands had to compete with several other partners.

Minister Schultz van Haegen: 'Nice to see that the investments in the Top Sector Logistics are paying off in this way. This is good for business and good for our country'.

Integrated approach

Maintenance on the F-35 is being done smartly. The parts therefore go to a central warehouse in Europe. From there they can be packed and shipped quickly, including customs clearance and export permits. This European warehouse at the LCW will have a forward station at Schiphol. This is because transport is not only by road, but also by air. With the approach proposed by the Netherlands, logistics costs are kept low, inventories are optimized and good availability of F-35 aircraft should be achieved. Because of the integrated approach, the Pentagon chose the Dutch proposal.

The arrival of the warehouse is the first step toward a modern logistics concept for F-35 parts in Europe. By bringing in this center, the Netherlands is showing that it is a frontrunner in logistics.

Engine Maintenance

The Netherlands was previously designated as one of the countries to maintain the engines of the new fighter aircraft, along with Australia, Norway and Turkey, among others. A test stand and workshop are being built at the LCW as part of the global maintenance infrastructure for the F-35 engines.

The Netherlands has been a partner in the F-35 program since 2002, with industry benefiting from contracts to build and maintain the F-35. The Dutch government decided in 2013 to replace the F-16 with the F-35. The aircraft meets our country's operational requirements and participation in the program generates orders and employment for companies.

Besides maintenance on engines, the F-35's starter motor and landing mechanism, this is the fourth F-35 maintenance success for the Netherlands in a short time.