From February 7, 60 soldiers from the Royal Netherlands Army will have exercises in Aruba. The soldiers are working at the 107 Aerial Systems Battery in ’t Harde, in the Netherlands. They are specialized in the deployment of different types of drones. To make the exercise possible, the military also has its own vehicles and other military equipment.
The climate in Aruba offers the military good opportunities to make a lot of flight hours with the drones, and therewith get maximum efficiency out of the exercise. In the Netherlands the possibilities during winter time are more limited. In addition, this exercise offers the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from the Marine Squadron Carib and the Coastguard Dutch Caribbean Region, which are both also active in Aruba.
The soldiers stay at the Marine barracks at Savaneta and are active on several locations all around the island. From February 15 the first flights will take place and the exercise will last till March 24.
107 Aerial Systems Battery (107 ASBt)
107 ASBt is an operational intelligence unit and is specialized in the deployment of unmanned aerial system (UAS), better known as drones. With this UAS the unit collects intelligence that other units can use in their operational deployment. This UAS-detachment can also be deployed for civilian tasks. During the exercise in Aruba the drones will only be deployed for exercise purposes. The images made by the drones during the exercise are not saved.
Collaboration with Luxemburg and Belgium
107 ASBt collaborates with the Luxembourg and Belgian armed forces. Also during this exercise a number of colleagues from Luxembourg and Belgium will be going under guidance from 107 ASBt instructors, to gain experience flying the Dutch drones. The exercise is separate from the deployment of the MQ-9 Reaper.
