First two Dutch Air Force F-35 jets arrive home for first time
First two F-35As touchdown for the first time at Leeuwarden Air Base May 23 – a date that will live forever in Netherlands military history.
First two Dutch Air Force F-35s arrive at Leeuwarden Air Base, the Netherlands, for the first time. |
Known as AN-1 and AN-2, the jets are spending three weeks in the Netherlands for a variety of purposes. They will conduct both aerial and ground environmental noise tests, perform flights over the North Sea range and then appear and fly at the Netherlands' Open Days, the largest air show held annually in the Netherlands.
The F-35s are performing noise tests at the request of Minister Hennis-Plasschaert.
During meetings held in February 2015 with residents living in the surrounding area of the two air force bases, she promised to bring the F-35 over to the Netherlands to enable local residents to experience and compare the noise-level of the F-35 with that of the F-16 currently in use.
The Netherlands currently has four pilots and 27 maintainers, but its cadre will grow substantially during the next three years as the Netherlands prepares for a total of 37 aircraft permanently based starting with Leeuwarden in 2019 and then Volkel Air Base in 2021.
Source and Pics: Lockeed Martin