News item | 03-06-2022 | 14:15
The cabinet will continue with the so-called RCR procedure (State Coordination Scheme) to be able to build a new radar station in Herwijnen. State Secretary Van der Maat personally conveyed the cabinet decision to the municipality of West Betuwe today.
In recent years, residents of Herwijnen and politically objected to the arrival of the radar in Herwijnen. The Ministry of Defense then started looking for an alternative location. To this end, various studies have been conducted and exploratory talks have been held with municipalities and provinces. However, those investigations and discussions have not yielded a more suitable location.
The location in Herwijnen offers good radar coverage and has no additional displacement effects on the tasks regarding wind energy on land and high-rise housing. The radar in Herwijnen also fits well into the local environment. Moreover, the location in Herwijnen prevents an additional delay of at least three years for the realization of sufficient radar coverage. Due to the current threat assessment and the poor condition of the current radar in Nieuw Milligen, such a delay is unacceptable.
Insufficient coverage
The Ministry of Defense currently has the very outdated MPR radar in Nieuw Milligen and the SMART-L radar in Wier. These do not sufficiently cover the southern part of the Netherlands and the Randstad. This necessitates a second SMART-L radar in the Central Netherlands.
With the SMART-L radars, enemy aircraft, missiles, drones and hijacked aircraft can be detected at a greater distance. The location of the radar is crucial for low-altitude coverage in particular. This allows Defense to respond to threats in a timely manner.
The State Secretary has therefore announced that he will continue the procedure for a new radar immediately. The radar station in Herwijnen is expected to be completed within four years.
Concerns about noise and radiation
The SMART-L radar in Wier does not yet meet the noise standards for the evening and night. To limit the noise, a dome is being built over this radar. The same measure is of course also taken at the radar in Herwijnen.
Research and practical measurements have been carried out into the (composite) radiation of the radar. These confirm that the radar in a publicly accessible area complies with the international guidelines for radiation exposure, also in combination with the weather radar of KNMI, which is also located in Herwijnen.
Defense will of course continue to monitor these two matters.
Continued procedure
The Ministry of Defense will involve the residents of Herwijnen and other involved parties in the follow-up to the RCR procedure. This procedure examines how the radar can best fit into the environment.
The Ministry of Defense will inform the residents of Herwijnen in a very short time by letter about the follow-up process and the possibilities for participation. The State Secretary also indicates that he wants to achieve good cooperation on additional points of concern that are common among local residents.