12:05 GMT, April 17, 2009 In a letter to the Lower House, Deputy Defence Minister Jack de Vries says a decision not to buy the Joint Strike Fighter could cost the country at least 873 million Euros, Radio Netherlands reported today. A large part of that, 760 million euros, comprises money the Netherlands has already invested in the US fighter plane.

The Ministry of Defence wants to buy 85 of the fighters to replace the F16s currently used by the Dutch military. But government coalition parties are divided on whether to go ahead with the plan. While the Christian Democrats are in favour of buying the new planes, the Labour Party has serious objections and the Christian Union also has misgivings.

Earlier this week, there were rumours that a final decision on the purchase would be put off until after the next election.

Sources in The Hague told Dutch public broadcaster NOS that a test plane would be bought this year, and another in 2010. The government has denied this.

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