The Dutch Ministry of Defense is in negotiations with the railway operator NS to acquire about 24 decommissioned railcars with the goal of converting them into mobile hospitals for the evacuation of wounded soldiers.
If the project is approved, the first adapted models could enter service as early as 2026. The number of railcars may be increased, and the vehicles in question are those that were originally destined for replacement or sale abroad.
According to Brigadier General Henny Bowman, the initiative is part of a broader effort to prepare the Dutch Armed Forces for large-scale operations. As part of this plan, the government also recently signed an agreement with the airline KLM, allowing retired military pilots currently working in commercial aviation to be recalled as reservists and operate fighter jets such as the F-35, thus maintaining their skills and strengthening the country’s response capabilities.
Additionally, at the end of June, the Netherlands signed a contract with the American company Oshkosh Defense for the purchase of 150 DXPV Kaaiman armored vehicles, an adapted version of the JLTV model specially developed to meet the needs of the Dutch Marine Corps.
The choice of vehicles was announced in April 2025, but the final details of the agreement were only concluded several months later.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @NS_online | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
