F-35 Lightning II News

October 14, 2025 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Belgium officially entered the fifth-generation fighter era yesterday as the first three F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrived at Florennes Air Base, marking the nation’s first introduction of a new fighter type in nearly 50 years.
The aircraft (FL009, FL010, and FL012) arrived directly from the United States, though the long-awaited event began on a slightly muted note. Originally, four F-35s were scheduled to make the flight to Belgium, but one aircraft (FL011) was forced to remain behind in the Azores due to technical issues.

The arrival represents a major milestone for the Belgian Air Component, which ordered 34 F-35A fighters to replace its aging fleet of F-16s. The acquisition program is valued at approximately €4 billion for the aircraft, support, training, and infrastructure. When including full lifecycle costs such as maintenance, spare parts, and operational use over several decades, total expenditures are expected to reach between €12.4 and €15 billion.

Three of the promised four aircraft now gleam on the Florennes tarmac. The base will eventually host 17 F-35s, while the remaining jets are planned to be stationed at Kleine-Brogel by 2027.

Although these are the first Belgian F-35s to land on home soil, Lockheed Martin has already completed a dozen aircraft for Belgium. Eight (FL001 - FL008) remain with the 312th FS at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where Belgian and other allied pilots receive training on the F-35. Those aircraft will continue to be used for training purposes in the years to come.

The F-35 also carries a distinct European — and partly Belgian — footprint. About 25 percent of the aircraft is produced in Europe, including components made in Belgium such as parts of the tail and the specialized coating used on the jet’s stealthy surface.

Beyond modernizing Belgium’s air fleet, the F-35’s arrival also reinforces the country’s strategic role within NATO. The aircraft is capable of carrying U.S. nuclear weapons stored at Kleine-Brogel Air Base, maintaining Belgium’s participation in NATO’s nuclear deterrence mission. The F-35’s advanced sensors and combat systems also make it a vital platform for detecting and neutralizing modern aerial threats such as drones — a capability recently demonstrated by Dutch F-35s operating in Poland.

With the arrival of these aircraft, Belgium joins the growing list of European nations transitioning to the F-35, signaling a new chapter in the country’s air defense and NATO contribution. The Belgian Ministry of Defence has also expressed interest in ordering 11 additional F-35s, which would be built in Cameri, Italy, pending government approval.

[Update 24/10/2025: FL011 finally arrived in Florennes]