Page 217 - Airpower in 20th Century - Doctrines and Employment

a Century of military aviation in tHe netHerlands, 1911-2011 217

plies from US surplus supplies or from the production line. For the Dutch air force
the MDAP would make itself felt primarily in the supply of tactical fighter bomb-
ers (187 Republic F-84E/G Thunderjets and 180 Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks),
photo reconnaissance aircraft (24 Republic RF-84F Thunderflashes), night fighters
(63 North American F-86K Sabres), training aircraft (28 Beechcraft T-7s and 41
Lockheed T-33As), light aircraft (155 Piper Super Cubs) and helicopters (36 Hiller
OH-23 Ravens). In addition, the MDAP was also responsible for the supply of vehi-
cles, ground equipment, ammunition and radar and communications systems. This
was followed up at a later stage by the American supply of guided-weapon systems
to the Netherlands.
Ultimately, the influence of the superpower America on the Dutch air force proved
to be both more profound and more stable than the British influence. From the end
of the 1950s, the Netherlands, as a general rule, would buy its new main weapon
systems for the air force in the United States. In addition to new-generation fighter
aircraft, such as the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the Northrop NF-5 and the General
Dynamics F-16, this also involved the purchase of American guided-weapon sys-
tems, transport aircraft and helicopters. The choice for these weapon systems also
meant that the Dutch air force, for decades, worked closely with the Americans in the
fields of (pilot) training, procedures and logistics.
The promotion of the Dutch air arm to an autonomous Service in the Nether-
lands came at a relatively later time than was the case in the countries around the
Netherlands. As mentioned before, the path to autonomy was a gradual one. From
April 1947, the build-up of the air force was undertaken under the direction of the
Chief of the Air Staff (CLS) and the Commando Legerluchtmacht Nederland (CLN),
which formally still came under the army. The establishment of the post of CLS was
the starting signal for the formation of an air force staff within the Ministry of War
(renamed Ministry of Defence in 1959). Specific air force affairs were increasingly
extricated from the grasp of the army and assigned to the budding air force organisa-
tion. In September 1950, the CLN was abolished in a reorganisation and a number of
executive commands were set up in an intermediary role between the air force lead-
ership and the various units. With the exception of a number of name changes and
amalgamations, this command structure remained in-tact until the end of 1991. Over
the years, the air force became increasingly autonomous, with a command structure
matching that of the navy and the army. The development culminated in March 1953
when the air force – except for the elements that came under the navy – was granted
the title “Royal”. Almost forty years after its inception, the Dutch air arm – on a par
with the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) and the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN)
– would go on as the third independent Service, the Royal Netherlands Air Force
(RNLAF).
From the 1960s, the striking power of the RNLAF comprised four clusters or
pillars, which operated more or less independently from each other, each making
its own contribution to the NATO defence effort in Western Europe. The develop-