Fire Support Command
Military unit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Military unit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fire Support Command (Dutch: Vuursteun Commando, VustCo) is the artillery arm of the Royal Netherlands Army.[1] The command consists of 41 Artillery Battalion, a staff, the Fire Support School and the artillery training grounds and is part of the Operational Support Command Land.
| Fire Support Command | |
|---|---|
| Vuursteun Commando (VustCo) | |
Emblem of the VustCo | |
| Founded | 25 January 2013 |
| Country |  Netherlands |
| Branch |  Royal Netherlands Army |
| Type | Artillery |
| Size | c. 500 active personnel |
| Part of | Operational Support Command Land |
| Garrison/HQ | Artillerie Schietkamp in 't Harde |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Michel Roelen |
The command was established on 25 January 2013 through amalgamation of the 14 Field Artillery Battalion (Dutch: 14e Afdeling Veldartillerie) and the 11 Horse Artillery Battalion (Dutch: 11 Afdeling Rijdende Artillerie).
With the establishment of 41 Artillery Battalion (Dutch: 41 Afdeling Artillerie) on 18 January 2019, the Royal Netherlands Army has returned to field an independent artillery unit. The battalion staff has since been responsible for planning and operational management of the fire support batteries, a task which used to be the responsibility of the staff of the Fire Support Command. The staff will, however, maintain responsibility over the management of the Fire Support School and the artillery training grounds.[2] Personnel of the command is divided over two corps, the Korps Veldartillerie (Field Artillery Corps) and the Korps Rijdende Artillerie (Horse Artillery Corps), the latter also known as the Gele Rijders (Yellow Riders) due to their traditional uniforms with heavy yellow braiding. The corps serve a traditional purpose and are not indicative of the size of the respective units.
On 30 April 2021, the new Delta (D) Battery of the 41 Artillery Battalion was established as a result of investments into the land-based firepower. The battery has not yet reached full strength, hence the battery was called a "battery minus". Instead of nine Pantserhouwitsers per battery, the Delta Battery fields six.[3]
The Fire Support Command consists of the following units:
Additionally, the command is responsible for the:
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| Name | Origin | Type | Number | Photo | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket artillery | ||||||
| PULS |  Israel |
Multiple rocket launcher | 2[6] |  |
20 ordered in 2023.[7][8] In February 2024 the first PULS multiple rocket launcher arrived in the Netherlands.[9] | |
| Self-propelled howitzers | ||||||
| Pantserhouwitser 2000NL |  Germany | Self-propelled howitzer | 35 (49) |  | Capable of firing 155mm Excalibur precision-guided munition since 2018.[10] Mid-life update due between 2026 and 2028.[11] | |
| Mortars | ||||||
| MO-120-RT |  France | 120 mm mortar | 16 (22) |  | 16 mortars operational, due for replacement in 2023 by 20 new 120 mm mortars and four loitering munition launchers.[12] | |
| Armoured fighting vehicles | ||||||
| Boxer | Germany | Armoured fighting vehicle | 8 |  | Command Post variant in use for command and control. | |
| Radars | ||||||
| Thales Multi Mission Radar | Netherlands | Mobile radar | 6 |  | In use as detection capacity for artillery support. Capable of detecting and tracking incoming missiles, artillery and unmanned aerial systems.[13] Produced by Thales Nederland. | |
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