Lockheed Martin has presented the Belgian government with its first F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. The aircraft was presented at a rollout ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, on 10 December 2023.
This first aircraft, designated AY-01, will be delivered to the Belgian Air Component next year and will be based at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where international F-35 pilot and maintainer training takes place.
“The introduction of the F-35 within the Belgian air force will enable us to continue to fulfil all our missions in the coming decades, in co-operation with our allies and partners in NATO, the EU and beyond,” the Belgian armed forces’ chief of defence, Admiral Michel Hofman, was quoted as saying in a Lockheed Martin press release.
Belgium officially selected the F-35A on 25 October 2018 to replace its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16s, of which 53 are currently in service (44 F-16AM single-seaters and nine F-16BM two-seaters). Belgium’s programme of record calls for 34 F-35As, the total purchasing price of which, including support until 2030, totalled EUR4 Bn.
Belgium had earlier delayed accepting its first F-35s as Lockheed Martin continued to test the new Technical Refresh 3 (TR-3) configuration of the aircraft.
