On September 27, a significant date will unfold for the Royal Netherlands Air Force. This day will mark the final flight of the F-16 Fighting Falcons over Dutch skies, which will be replaced by the F-35A stealth fighters. This is noteworthy, as previously announced, this will not be the end for these combat aircraft; part of the fleet that has protected Dutch airspace for over forty years will be transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force.
A bit of history…
The Netherlands, alongside Belgium, Denmark, and Norway, became one of the first four European and NATO operators of the newly manufactured F-16s from General Dynamics in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The original order, consisting of 102 aircraft (80 F-16A and 22 F-16B), represented a qualitative leap in capabilities and performance for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, as well as industrial opportunities, since the first batch would be received and assembled by Fokker, becoming the second assembly line for the American fighter in Europe (the first was SABCA in Belgium).
The inaugural flight of a Dutch F-16 took place on May 3, 1979, with deliveries of the first Block 1 aircraft beginning in June of that year.
Subsequently, the Dutch F-16 fleet expanded with an additional order of 111 units after the Dutch Parliament approved the acquisition plans in 1983. This batch consisted of 97 F-16A and 14 F-16B, bringing the total fleet to 213 aircraft by the end of 1992 with the delivery of the last unit.
Fleet Reduction
With the end of the Cold War, which concluded over forty years of East-West tensions, and the subsequent reduction of defense budgets in Europe, part of the Dutch F-16 fleet was stored and put up for sale to third countries. A total of six units were sold to Jordan in 2005, followed by two batches of 18 units each sold to Chile, as part of its Air Force renewal, which also included the purchase of new F-16 Block 50s.
Immediate Future
With the confirmation of their retirement, the replacement of the F-16s in the Royal Netherlands Air Force has been realized with the introduction of the new fifth-generation F-35A fighters, which have taken on the roles and missions that the F-16s performed over the past forty years. Undoubtedly, the most significant role is that of a deterrent through the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
However, the war in Ukraine has led to part of the F-16 fleet being earmarked for the Ukrainian Air Force, a process that has already begun according to recent statements. In a recent ceremony, Ukraine received the first units that belonged to the Royal Danish Air Force, with one aircraft already reported lost in combat.
Regarding the quantities to be transferred, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee discussed months ago the transfer of up to 24 F-16 Block 10/15s, along with supplementary material. As previously reported, “The Dutch initiative initially contemplated the transfer of 18 fighters; however, this figure increased following the decision to cancel the sale of another six aircraft to Draken.”
As for the retirement of the Netherlands’ F-16s, the Dutch Ministry of Defense confirmed that the final flight of the Fighting Falcons will take place on September 27, involving several flyovers across the country. According to the Ministry of Defense, the last flight will start at 1:30 PM local time, flying over the following locations:
- Volkel (starting point)
- De Peel
- Twente
- Leeuwarden
- Vlieland
- Nieuw Milligen Air Operations Control Station
- Soesterberg
- The Hague
- Woensdrecht
- Breda
- Gilze-Rijen
- Eindhoven
- Volkel (end of flight)
Photographs used for illustration purposes.
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