NO(^54) THE MAGAZINE 02 55
SCANDINAVIAN
AVIATION MAGAZINE
Afghanistan
In April 2006, the Dutch government renewed
the contribution of helicopters to the mission in
Afghanistan Initially, six Deltas were deployed,
later this number was reduced to four. The aircraft
operated from Kandahar Airfield (KAF) but mainly
operated in southern Afghanistan.
On the 20th of October, these Apaches moved
to Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan, where they delivered
Close Air Support (CAS) in which they managed
to relieve the ground troops during Troops In
Contact (TIC) many times.
The most recent deployment of Dutch
Apaches was done in the framework of the
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission
in Mali (MINUSMA).
Four Apaches were used to gather intelligence
and supported Dutch troops on the ground,
making them ‘the eyes and ears of the UN’.
With this Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance (ISR) deployment, the RNLAF
made an important contribution to the UN
mission. In addition, the aircraft provided the
Quick Reaction Force (QRF).
During MINUSMA, the AH-64Ds were armed
with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and unguided
2.75-inch missiles. Halfway through the mission,
in early October 2015, the Deltas flying for
MINUSMA were equipped with the reduced-size
crashworthy external fuel system (RCEFS). Due
to the large mission area, approximately 12 times
the surface area of the Netherlands, the range
extenders were a welcome contribution to the UN
intelligence mission.
After two and a half years of service, the first two
Redskins returned to the Netherlands on January
7th, 2017. The remaining two Apaches returned
home three weeks later.
In addition, the RNLAF regularly assists the
civil authorities to make a contribution to Dutch
society. The powerful sensors of the Apache have
been used several times in the recent years to
support the police in finding missing persons and
locating robbers.
Collisions and accidents
In the past twenty years, the Royal Netherlands
Air Force lost two AH-64Ds due to accidents.
During the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, the first
of two AH-64Ds crashed. The crew lost control of
their helicopter when they flew north of Kabul on
August 29, 2004. The investigation showed the
crash was caused due to a pilot error since the
crew did not follow the correct procedures whilst
attempting to pass control from the frontseat
pilot to the backseat pilot. There was no time to
avoid a crash due to the low altitude of 200ft.
The aircraft – registration number Q-20 – was
damaged beyond repair and one crewmember
suffered minor injuries.
On the 17th of March 2015, an Apache crashed
in Mali, tragically killing both crewmembers. A
technical failure of a component in the control
system caused the attack helicopter to crash
during a shooting exercise, some 50 kilometers
north of Gao. The failure made it impossible for
the crew to safely control the aircraft. Due to the
technical defect, all Dutch Deltas – including the
three remaining in the mission area in Africa –
were temporarily grounded until the component in
question had been replaced.
Two other Apaches were damaged after they
flew against a high-voltage cable during a low-
fly exercise at night. The first collision between
an Apache and a high-voltage pylon took place
in December 2007. The aircrew was able to
safely land the Apache, but the collision caused
a major damage to the power grid. Over 50,000
households were trapped for days without power.
The aircrew was sentenced to community service
and fines due to negligence and careless flight
preparation.
Almost ten years later, on November the 13th of
2017, another Apache flew against a high-voltage
cable during an evening flight training. The cable
cutter of the helicopter did its job, leaving more
than 24,000 households and companies without
electricity for the night. There were no casualties
and the pilots safely put the Apache with a
precautionary landing in a field.