Photo: US Air Force
Belgium has a program of record of 34 F-35s. Like other European states, it has agreed to donate some (a total of 30) of its retiring F-16s to Ukraine (although the last of the Belgium F-16s are not expected to be delivered until 2028). More Belgian F-35As are expected to arrive at Luke AFB over the next few months – although it will still be a while before the Belgium F-35s receive initial operating capability (transitioning to the new jet is a very complex process).
Related Why The F-35 Isn’t That Expensive & Is Actually A Fantastically Good Jet
The flyaway cost of an F-35 is lower than many advanced 4th-generation fighters while offering far more capabilities.
Ordered by 12 European states
Meanwhile, Belgium’s neighbor, the Netherlands, has officially fully transitioned to the F-35 and its F-16s have been fully retired. Elsewhere in Europe, Romania confirmed in November 2024 that it is ordering 24 F-35s. Another important milestone for another NATO country is that the first F-35 intended for Poland has successfully completed its first test flight. The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to receive the F-35 (the UK manufactures around 15% of the components found in the F-35).
Around 3,000-4,000 F-35s are expected to be built, with the United States Air Force being the largest customer by far (it has a program of record for 1,763 F-35As). Most countries with sizeable combat wings in NATO have already ordered the F-35. Notably, France and Sweden have their own fighter jet programs and wish to purchase only their own fighter jets.
Some NATO countries, like Slovakia and Bulgaria, only have small combat fleets and are upgrading to 4.5th generation F-16 Block 70/72 (others, like Luxemburg and Iceland, lack air forces entirely). Portugal is expected to soon place an order for the F-35. In contrast, Spain may not order it for its air force (choosing the Typhoon Eurofighter instead) but will likely eventually order naval F-35Bs to replace its aging AV-8B Harrier II jump jets.
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Publish date : 2024-12-08 05:53:00
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