Initially expected to be delivered in 2023, Belgium’s first F-35A is now at Luke AFB, marking the start of the training and the beginning of a new era for the Belgian Air Component.
Belgium’s first F-35A Lightning II arrived at Luke AFB (Air Force Base) in Arizona on Dec. 3, 2024, marking the beginning of its transition from the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The jet, with the tail number FL002 and the colored roundel of the Belgian Air Force, landed at Luke AFB piloted by the 312th Fighter Squadron’s commander, Lt. Col. Jason Wall.
The jet, with callsign “Scorpion1,” departed the NAS-JRB (Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base) Fort Worth in the morning of Dec. 3 for Luke AFB. Fort Worth hosts Lockheed Martin’s F-35 manufacturing facility, where the first Belgian F-35 was rolled out and performed its maiden flight earlier this year.
A press release said this marks the “ushering in a new era for the Belgian Air Component.” Additionally, the statement mentioned “The initial cadre of Belgian pilots is at Luke AFB to commence training, as Belgium and the United States collaborate to build a new fighter squadron from scratch.”
As additional Belgian F-35As are scheduled to arrive at Luke AFB over the next few months, the delivery of the first aircraft reinforces the base’s role as the “premier training location for U.S. allies and partners,” as it hosts six foreign nations including Denmark, Nethernald, Norway, Italy, Singapore and Belgium. “The collaboration extends beyond pilot training, as both countries work together to enhance operational readiness and strengthen NATO alliances,” the statement added.
As The Aviationist had reported, the first Belgian F-35A (AY-03, tail code FL003) had flown for the first time on May 14 from Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility in a one hour flight. The arrival of the first aircraft at Luke AFB also comes more than a year after the delivery of the first F-35As was delayed in Aug. 2023, reportedly owing to Belgium declining to accept the airframes.
This was because Belgium was expecting the jets to be delivered in the latest configuration, as per the contract with the U.S. and Lockheed Martin. The Belgian Ministry of Defense had insisted on having those variants, as per Belgian reports at the time.
Our first #F35 has just landed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, in the United States 🇺🇸! This is an important milestone in the development of our new fighter capability, which is crucial for the defence of our airspace and our contribution to collective security within #NATO. pic.twitter.com/MTHibb50Se
— Belgian Air Force🇧🇪 (@BeAirForce) December 4, 2024
The said configuration is the TR-3 (Technology Refresh-3) with the Block 4 upgrades, which has greater computing, weapons, sensors, EW (Electronic Warfare), radar, target tracking and identification capabilities. While it has not been officially specified whether the jet is in the TR-3 Block 4 configuration, previous reports quoting Lockheed Martin officials have said all new production aircraft would possess the upgrade. Lockheed Martin had unveiled Belgium’s first F-35 in Dec. 2023.
We’re honored to present @BeAirForce with its first F-35 today at our Fort Worth plant. It is a privilege to build on longstanding history with the Belgian Air Force. https://t.co/hLT2WQDcsj pic.twitter.com/1II5jRFZxn
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) December 10, 2023
‘Signifies US, Belgian and NATO alliance’
Belgian Air Component’s and the 312th Fighter Squadron’s senior national representative Lt. Col. Pierre-Yves Libert called the delivery of the first F-35 a “historic day for the Belgian Air Force.”
“Our first jet just landed at Luke AFB, marking the start of our training period,” he added. “A lot of work has gone into making this moment possible and we are excited to begin flying and complete our training.”
The 312th FS is also awaiting the operationalization of a newly renovated building meant for enhanced training and instruction. Currently, experienced and senior Belgian pilots are also participating in the Simulator Subject Matter Expert course, which will help them in establishing their own academic training center back home.
Lt. Col. Wall said the jet’s arrival demonstrates how “close of an ally Belgium is with the United States” and by extension, the “shared NATO partnership in Europe.”
“Everyone’s worked really hard for this momentous day,” he added. “More jets will arrive in the coming months, and our students are ready to fly as soon as maintenance turns this jet over for operations.”
The trainee pilots might meanwhile have a grueling schedule of training on the simulators and follow a carefully charted and phased plan to fly the aircraft from Luke AFB in various envelopes.
The F-35A’s arrival represents the dawn of a new chapter with fifth-generation fighter capabilities. “The joint effort in building a new fighter squadron underscores the strong partnership and shared defense goals between the two nations,” the statement added.
“It’s such an honor to command the 312th FS and build this team from the ground up,” said Wall. “This moment reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. I’m proud to lead this effort and set up the squadron for success.”
“Scorpion1,” the first Belgian F35A, AY-02/FL002, to be delivered to Luke AFB. This was the morning of December 3, 2024, departing NAS JRB Fort Worth for Luke. #belgium pic.twitter.com/FqCRtEgL3I
— Tori Mae (@LensOfMae) December 5, 2024
Belgian Air Force and F-35A
Belgium decided to acquire the F-35A in Oct. 2018 to replace the Belgian Air Component’s fleet of 54 F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, and contracted a total of 34 stealth fighters. The F-16s were expected to be phased out between 2023 and 2028.
As per an initial plan, Belgium’s F-35s had to be delivered between 2023 and 2030. But the Covid-19 pandemic, the lockdown and the resultant industrial supply chain disruption severely impacted vendors and subcontractors, delaying this plan.
The revised plan called for the first two Belgian F-35As to be delivered at the end of 2023 and two more ones during the first quarter of 2024. However, that plan again was amended after Belgium did not accept the first F-35 owing to the absence of the TR-3 Block 4 configuration in the jet, as mentioned earlier.
While Florennes Air Base is expected to host the first in-country arrival of an F-35A, the stealth fighters will also be based out of Kleine-Brogel beginning in 2027. Kleine-Brogel is also among six bases that hosts NATO’s nuclear weapon, the B61-12 nuclear bomb. The others are Büchel Air Base in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi Air Bases in Italy, Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands, and Incirlik in Turkey.
