The Logistic Centre Woensdrecht (LCW) and NLR are expanding their collaboration. LCW will intensively deploy NLR’s comprehensive knowledge and superior technologies in order to optimise the maintenance of weapon systems on behalf of the Royal Dutch Air Force.
This expansion was ratified in a contract signed last weekend by Air Force Commander Eric Schevenhove, and Michel Peters, the NLR’s CEO.
The NLR works on-location with the LCW’s Program Management department, which, within the Air Force, is responsible for the maintenance of weapon systems. Here the focus is on permanently identifying the components whose (lack of) availability could adversely impact the fleet and/or expenditures. Finding causes and solutions occurs proactively within the team context, with various NLR employees working from the Woensdrecht location several days per week.
In addition to collaborating with the NLR, LCW also seeks partnerships with other Dutch companies, in order to reduce maintenance costs, to increase aircraft availability, and to position the Netherlands as a maintenance partner for the future F-35. This collaboration supports the Maintenance Valley initiative and the Aviolanda area development, which strives to develop aviation-related activities in and around Woensdrecht Air Base.
Dutch Composites Maintenance Centre
Airborne Services will be situated at the Woensdrecht Air Base, where it will perform maintenance on rotor blades. To this end, LCW and Airborne Services signed an agreement for the shared use of LCW facilities at market prices.
In addition, this agreement aptly aligns with a contract recently signed at the Paris Air Show, where an agreement was reached to establish the Dutch Composites Maintenance Centre (DCMC), a knowledge and innovation centre (involving Fokker, NLR, TU Delft and Airborne Services) that will focus on developing maintenance-related products, processes and services pertaining to aircraft composite components. The DCMC will be headquartered in the aviation maintenance cluster situated around the Woensdrecht Air Base.
