July 5th, 2005 
Three F-16 aircraft of the Royal Netherlands Airforce arrived at Naval Air Station Hato on Curacao today around 13.00 hrs. They will be deployed in the search for the missing girl Natalee Holloway. The aircraft have special equipment on board with which they can scan the whole island.
The deployment of the aircraft is done at the request of the Aruban authorities and it is not yet known how long this will last. The F-16's left the Netherlands last Sunday and flew about 7.000 kilometers via the Azores. On their flight they were refueled by a KDC-10. This transport and refueling aircraft also transports the materiel and the contingent of about 40 air force personnel.
During their search the F-16's make use of the so-called Mars-pod (Medium Altitude Reconnaissance System) with daylight cameras, or a targeting pod that can make infrared images. The targeting pod target indicator system is a cradle that is fixed underneath the plane, with a laser guided target indicator and a TV and infrared camera. The Mars-pod is also a cradle with two Recon Optical KS-87B daylight cameras, equipped with 12 inch lenses (306 mm) that can make detailed pictures. The cameras can also be equipped with other objectives. Each camera has a film cassette with 75 meters of film, for about 600 shots. These are then analyzed by specialists, the so-called 'photo-interpreters' of the 'Mobile Fil Procesing Unit' of Volkel Airbase. The F-16's will fly at different altitudes.
The three F-16's are deployed on the request of the Aruban authorities. In the search for the missing girl the Department of Defense has deployed personnel and equipment from the beginning. On the request of the Aruban authorities, Royal Netherlands Marines have participated in various search actions, thus mobilizing a total of about 200 persons, a helicopter and various vessels.
