The Netherlands will keep MQ-9 Reaper aircraft deployed in Romania until 31 December 2027, extending an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission on NATO’s eastern flank as the U.S. element in the effort ends. The Royal Netherlands Air Force aircraft support Air Shielding operations and airborne data collection, strengthening alliance situational awareness along the border region.
The deployment remains under Dutch national responsibility, with NATO setting intelligence requirements while the Netherlands controls which missions are flown and how the collected information is processed. Dutch MQ-9s are based in Romania, but flying and analysis are handled from Vliegbasis Leeuwarden in the Netherlands.
The extension lengthens an arrangement that had been due to expire at the end of September 2026. With U.S. participation in the mission winding down, the Dutch contribution becomes more central to continued NATO monitoring on the eastern flank, keeping a European ISR presence in place at a time of sustained attention on the region.