“With this investment we are once again taking our responsibility over the North Sea,” says Minister Francken. “We ensure a modern and reliable rescue capacity for decades to come.” The aircraft are equipped with specialized systems specifically required for search and rescue operations, ranging from advanced search sensors and communications equipment to extensive medical equipment.
It was also recently decided that the entire Belgian SAR capacity will be concentrated again at the Koksijde air base. This gives the site a central role within national security policy. Koksijde will therefore not only become the base for the new helicopters, additional capabilities will also be added. The devices will cost approximately 182 million.