A majority of 79 Dutch MPs have voted in favour of opting out of the Joint Strike Fighter jet project.
A motion proposed by the Labour Party (PvdA) was supported by the Socialist Party, Green Left, the democrat party D66, the rightwing Freedom Party and the Party for the Animals. Yesterday, the Labour Party announced that it was dropping its support for the JSF project and would vote against Dutch involvement in the test phase.
Last year, there was a disagreement among cabinet ministers over the JSF and it was decided to buy a single test plane. Labour supported the purchase of the test jet while part of the coalition, but says delays, lack of clarity on pricing and the noise factor have led it to draw the conclusion that further participation would be irresponsible.
Outgoing Defence Minister Eimert van Middelkoop said its Christian Democrat cabinet is unlikely to make a final decision until after the general elections. He said decisions regarding a project of this magnitude should not be taken by a caretaker government.
The Labour Party resigned from the coalition government with the Christian Democrats and the Christian Union Party in February following dissension over whether to extend the Dutch mission in Afghanistan. The party said it’s been known for months that the JSF project would far exceed its original budget. Without Labour support, the project will not go ahead in the Netherlands.
The JSF development is being principally funded by the US, which has commissioned 2443 aircraft. The US government has placed the project led by Lochheed Martin into receivership and invested an extra 2.8 billion dollars into its development.
