IT'S OFFICIAL, BELGIUM HAS SELECTED F-35

Belgium has selected the F-35.

October 25, 2018 - Lockheed Martin annunced today that the Belgian Government has selected the F-35A Lightning II to fulfill future national defense needs. According to Reuters, the deal amounts to 4 billion euro ($4.55 billion), while the DSCA had estimated $ 6.53 billion at the beginning of the year.

Belgium will buy 34 new F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin to replace its ageing F-16 MLU fleet composed of about 52 jets (the right number is not clear because of the recent accident that involved 3 aircraft).

According to the Belgian Defence Minister Steven Vandeput, the F-35 won over the Eurofighter Typhoon thanks to the most advantageous offer of the American company. “The offer from the Americans was the best in all our seven evaluation criteria,” he said.

Belgium is the fourth Foreign Military Sales customer to purchase the F-35, following Israel (2010), Japan (2011) and the Republic of Korea (2014) and the 12th nation to join the F-35 program. The first deliveries are scheduled for 2023.

Belgium had a first taste of the aircraft last September during the Belgian Air Force Days airshow when an Italian JSF belonging to 32nd Wing was shown in the static area.

Written by Matteo Sanzani