Netherlands plans $1.1 billion rush order for extra Patriot system

PARIS – The Netherlands plans to place a rush order for an additional Patriot air-defense system for €940 million, or US$1.1 billion, to avoid losing its production slot and joining the tail end of a waiting list of international customers, which the Dutch government says could push delivery back to 2033.

The government has until March 31 to sign the order, after which the firm price proposal expires and Raytheon will very likely attribute the production slot to another buyer, Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius wrote in a letter to parliament dated Monday.

That would mean joining the back of the order queue and taking into account “significant price increases,” the minister said.

The Netherlands had counted on extending the price proposal to give parliament sufficient time to discuss a supplementary budget.

However, demand for Patriot systems has increased because of the war in the Middle East, and Raytheon indicated in mid-March it was not going to be able to extend the option, according to Yeşilgöz-Zegerius.

“The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East underscore the importance of robust air defense,” Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said. “This is also what NATO is asking us to prioritize. That is why the government intends to proceed very soon with signing the contract for the Patriot.”

The deadline for signing means the order can’t await parliamentary approval of a supplementary budget, according to the minister.

Raytheon is the only manufacturer of the missile-based air-defense system, with a fire unit typically consisting of a radar, launchers and command and control stations.

The Netherlands has been a loyal Patriot user, being one of first European countries to adopt the system in 1987, and as of 2022 had three fire units , with components for a fourth system in reserve.

The Netherlands in January 2025 ordered Patriot components that included a radar unit and a number of launchers in a $529 million contract to replace parts donated to Ukraine, with all ordered components expected to be delivered in the course of 2029.

The additional Patriot system will represent an “important step” for the Netherlands towards meeting NATO requirements for integrated air and missile defense, according to the Dutch defense minister.

The Netherlands also plans to order additional wheeled Boxer RCT-30 infantry fighting vehicles, which are equipped with an unmanned turret with 30mm cannon, for €570 million. The Dutch in October agreed to buy 72 of the vehicles, part of a combined order with Germany for a total of 222 vehicles valued at €4.7 billion, and with delivery set to start in late 2027.

The additional armored vehicles will strengthen the Dutch Medium Infantry Brigade, another NATO priority, Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said.

The option for more vehicles at the same price and delivery time as the initial batch expires May 31, in which case joining the international order queue will likely push back delivery to 2032, according to the minister.

While the government didn’t say how many additional Boxer RCT-30s it intends to order, a calculated per-unit price based on last year’s purchase would suggest around 27 extra infantry fighting vehicles.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——荷兰计划紧急订购一套价值 9.4 亿欧元（约合 11 亿美元）的“爱国者”防空系统，以避免失去生产名额，并加入国际客户候补名单的末尾。荷兰政府表示，这可能会将交付时间推迟到 2033 年。

国防部长迪兰·耶希尔戈兹-泽格里乌斯在周一致议会的一封信中写道，政府必须在 3 月 31 日之前签署订单，之后确定的价格方案将失效，雷神公司很可能会将生产名额分配给其他买家。

部长表示，这意味着要排在订单队伍的末尾，并且要考虑到“价格大幅上涨”。

荷兰原本指望通过延长价格提案期限，给议会足够的时间来讨论补充预算。

据 Yeşilgöz-Zegerius 称，由于中东战争，对爱国者系统的需求有所增加，雷神公司在 3 月中旬表示，它无法延长该选择权。

“乌克兰和中东的战争凸显了强大防空能力的重要性，”叶希尔戈兹-泽格里乌斯说。“这也是北约要求我们优先考虑的事项。因此，政府打算尽快签署‘爱国者’导弹系统的合同。”

部长表示，由于签署期限已到，该命令不能等到议会批准补充预算后再生效。

雷神公司是导弹防空系统的唯一制造商，其火力单元通常由雷达、发射器和指挥控制站组成。

荷兰一直是“爱国者”导弹系统的忠实用户，是 1987 年首批采用该系统的欧洲国家之一，截至 2022 年，荷兰拥有三个火力单元，并储备了第四个系统的组件。

2025 年 1 月，荷兰订购了爱国者导弹系统的组件，其中包括雷达单元和若干发射器，合同金额为 5.29 亿美元，用于替换捐赠给乌克兰的部件，所有订购的组件预计将在 2029 年交付。

荷兰国防部长表示，新增的“爱国者”导弹防御系统将是荷兰在满足北约一体化防空和导弹防御要求方面迈出的“重要一步”。

荷兰还计划斥资5.7亿欧元增购配备30毫米无人炮塔的“拳击手”RCT-30轮式步兵战车。荷兰于去年10月同意购买72辆该型战车，这是其与德国联合订购的222辆战车的一部分，总价值达47亿欧元，预计将于2027年底开始交付。

Yeşilgöz-Zegerius表示，新增的装甲车辆将加强荷兰中型步兵旅，这也是北约的另一项优先事项。

据部长称，以与首批车辆相同的价格和交付时间订购更多车辆的选择权将于 5 月 31 日到期，届时加入国际订单队列可能会将交付时间推迟到 2032 年。

虽然政府没有透露打算额外订购多少辆 Boxer RCT-30 步兵战车，但根据去年的采购情况计算出的单价表明，大约需要额外订购 27 辆步兵战车。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。