Netherlands to buy over 50 drone detection radars for Ukraine

The Netherlands will buy 51 mobile radars for Ukraine to detect drones, the Dutch Defense Ministry announced on Aug. 21.
Ruben Brekelmans, the Dutch defense minister, said that systems will bolster Ukraine’s air defense amid Russia’s daily drone attacks.
The Dutch defense ministry signed a contract with the Hague-based Robin Radar Systems company for the purchase of the systems earlier in the day. Ukraine is expected to receive them later in 2024, the statement read.
The mobile radars are capable of detecting small drones and distinguishing them from birds.
“Since the detection system is mobile, it is more difficult for the enemy to find the radar, and therefore more difficult to neutralize it. This makes it possible to continuously detect and then destroy enemy drones,” the ministry said.
As of Aug. 20., Moscow has launched nearly 14,000 attack drones against Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Moscow uses various models of drones both on the battlefield and to attack targets far from the front line, such as energy infrastructure in central and western Ukraine.
The Netherlands has been Kyiv’s staunch supporter since 2022. The country joined the drone coalition and pledged to allocate 20 million euros (nearly $22 million) to purchase first-person view (FPV) drones for Ukraine.