British defense contractor Draken has agreed to deliver its L-159E Honey Badger threat replication fleet to support the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s training programs.
The subsonic light attack jets will act as a “red team” to simulate adversarial platforms, providing realistic aggressor interactions with the Dutch pilots and aircrews.
The Dorset-based company is scheduled to supply the aircraft and associated services for the air force between 2025 and 2026.
“We are pleased to be in a position where we are working towards a contract that will enable us to partner with one of the world’s leading providers for Adversary Air, demonstrating their commitment to establishing a formal agreement,” Dutch Defence Procurement Mission Support Systems Head Ludy Marcus stated.
“This collaboration aims to secure mission-critical training capabilities, ensuring our pilots are optimally prepared to respond swiftly and effectively to military threats, thereby safeguarding the security of the Netherlands and its allies.”
Draken’s L-159E Honey Badger
The L-159E Honey Badger is the export version of Aero Vodochody’s proprietary L-159A system that was specifically designed for military training.
L-159E is a single-seater plane with a wingspan of 10 meters (33 feet) and an overall length of 13 meters (43 feet).
It is powered by a Honeywell engine for speeds up to 936 kilometers (582 miles) per hour, an altitude of 13,200 meters (43,307 feet), and a range of 850 nautical miles (1,574 kilometers/978 miles).
The aircraft’s base model, the L-159A, can be equipped with mounted gun pods, ground attack rockets, air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, and conventional and laser-guided explosives.