The first two F-35s destined to the Royal Netherlands Air Force have arrived in the Netherlands.
On May 23, the first two Dutch F-35A aircraft, AN-1 (F-001) and AN-2 (F-002), have arrived at Leeuwarden air base, in the Netherlands, at the end of the type’s first eastbound transatlantic crossing.
The two aircraft started their journey to Europe from Edwards Air Force Base, California, and crossed the Pond as “NAF 81” (then “Archer 1” and “Archer 2”) after a stopover in Patuxent River, Maryland, supported by two KDC-10s, T-235, using radio callsign “NAF43,” and T-264, “NAF44.”
The two F-35s, piloted by Colonel Bert “Vidal” de Smit and Major Pascal “Smiley” Smaal, were greeted overhead Dundee, Scotland, by a RNlAF Gulfstream G-IV, tail number V-11, with Ministry of Defense Jeanine Hennis, that flew alongside the Joint Strike Fighters until landing.
A number of F-16s supported the crossing as well: two single-seat F-16AMs were deployed to Keflavik, Iceland, to support the F-35s, whereas two two-seater F-16BMs (J-065 “SLAMMER 01” and J-066 “SLAMMER 02”) flew as camera-ships to take some cool air-to-air pictures of the unusual formation of Joint Strike Fighters, G-IV and KC-10s (the latter ones landed at Eindhoven).
Aboard one of those F-16BMs was photographer Frank Crébas from Bluelifeaviation.com who took the aerial photographs that you can find in this post.
On the ground, waiting for the arrival of the two brand new F-35s along with nearly 2,000 base members, dignitaries and media, was Crébas’s buddy at Bluelifeaviation, journalist Stephan de Bruijn, who also took some shots of the F-35s conducting a flyby before coming to a full stop landing at Leeuwarden.
Noteworthy, the arrival of the first RNlAF F-35s was very well advertised by the Dutch MoD that provided constant updates, details of the crossing and also streamed the event live on Youtube (as opposed to the Italian MoD that almost took the type’s very first and second transatlantic crossings, conducted by F-35s assembled in Italy, confidential….).
According to Lockheed Martin, over the next few weeks, the Dutch F-35As 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.
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.
H/T @FMCNL for the details about the flight. Image credit: Stephan de Bruijn and Frank Crébas / Bluelifeaviation.com
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I don’t think that’s all we need to know. Remember the Aardvark
It sure was busy next to the airfield, over a 1000 people came to see the landings.
I have to hand it to you David Cenciotti you know the value of good photographs for your stories and this website.
Curious, how did the single seat F16AMs support the F35s? What would they do in support and how? was it something like flying along to accompany the F35s on certain legs of the flight? Navigation support? Communications support?
More or less as happened when the F-35 made the very first transatlantic crossing: the Italians used two Typhoons to chase the plane, provide assistance in case they had nav or radio issues etc.
Thanks :)
they are sexy looking…i wonder, can regular civilian radars detect the F35 when in regular flight, purely from a radar standpoint? I know they have to stealth up to defeat military grade radar, turn off active radars, manage IR and signal detection etc…but what about its RAM coatings and angles alone? Anyone know?
Depends if they’ve activated their transponder or not, civilian radars are built to pick up transponder signals not aircraft returns. It’s military radars that seek out the aircraft themselves versus the transponder beacon. If they have their transponder on they’ll be detected; if they don’t, they won’t. The same goes for jetliners too. If a 747 turns off its transponder it’ll be invisible on civilian ATC radar.