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.
