Dutch and American Companies Strengthen Collaboration at NL-US Defense Industry Days with MOU Signings - United States
Dutch and American Companies Strengthen Collaboration at NL-US Defense Industry Days with MOU Signings
(Washington, D.C.) — Dutch entities Neways, NIDV, PhotonFirst, and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre signed Memorandums of Understanding with American organizations in the fields of military aerospace collaboration, production, fiber optics, and research initiatives at this year’s NL-US Defense Industry Days conference.
As a trusted NATO ally, the Netherlands continues to strengthen its security relationship with the United States. This posture is illustrated by the many joint operations the Netherlands and the US participate in from the Arctic to the Indo-Pacific. Today’s agreements between Neways and SRC, Inc.; NIDV and Bell Textron; NLR and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®; and PhotonFirst and Bell Textron are the latest steps in deepening Dutch-US defense collaboration.
In the agreement between Neways and SRC, Inc., Neways will act as SRC’s European industrial partner. Neways will take SRC’s technologies from prototype through testing and qualification to series production in Europe, supported by trusted supply chains. Michiel van der Maat, Chief Commercial Officer of Neways and Kevin Unger, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Strategy and International Operations, of SRC, Inc., signed the agreement.
NIDV (The Netherlands Industries for Defense & Security) and Bell Textron will explore collaboration for Bell’s industrial participation activities in the Netherlands. The MOU agreement between NIDV and Bell Textron reflects a shared commitment to advancing vertical lift and bolstering the defense industrial base in the Netherlands. Hans Huigen, Director of NIDV and Robbie Yarbrough, Director of International Industrial Cooperation at Bell Textron, signed the agreement.
The agreement between NLR (The Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre) and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works expands a collaboration begun two years ago to support the readiness of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. This second phase will focus on connectivity to the Dutch industrial base, coordination on military operational analysis, alignment on technology roadmaps, and collaboration on Unmanned Aerial Systems. Tineke van der Veen, CEO of NLR, and Ron Fehlen, Vice President and General Manager of Skunk Works, signed the agreement.
PhotonFirst and Bell Textron will explore and refine the use of fiber optic sensing technology for structural health monitoring applications on Bell aircraft. The collaboration will focus on advancing the integration of fiber optic sensing technology into Bell’s rotocraft applications. Leendert-Jan Nijstad, CEO of PhotonFirst and Robbie Yarbrough, Director of International Industrial Cooperation at Bell Textron, signed the agreement.
From October 15-16, the NL-US Defense Industry Days bring together Dutch and US government officials, along with national security experts from think tanks, industry, and research institutions, to discuss transatlantic collaboration on land and sea, in the air, and in space. Officials from the Department of War, the United States Space Force, and other institutions will join Dutch counterparts for panel discussions. Topics on the agenda range from industrial and armaments cooperation to supply chain resilience.
