Belgium has welcomed the first three of its Lockheed Martin F-35As to their home at Florennes air base, with the fifth-generation type to progressively replace its aged Lockheed F-16AM/BMs before the end of this decade.

Assigned to the Belgian air force’s 1 Sqn, the newly-accepted stealth fighters touched down at the site on 13 October. Four jets had been flown from Lockheed’s Fort Worth site in Texas to the Azores, before the trio completed their transfer to the Belgian base.

Belgium had previously received eight F-35As which are being used as dedicated training assets at Luke AFB in Arizona. It plans to eventually field a 45-strong fleet of the new model, including via a planned 11-unit boost announced earlier this year.

Following the delivery of further aircraft to Florennes, Belgium will receive its first F-35As at Kleine-Brogel air base during 2027. Its air force expects to achieve full operational capability with the incoming type by 2030, by which point it should have 67 trained pilots.

Pending that operational build-up, aviation analytics company Cirium records the Belgian air force as having 44 F-16As and eight two-seat F-16Bs in current operational use.

The in-country arrival of Brussels’ first F-35As follows its recent introduction of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely piloted air system. The long-endurance type was formally placed into service – also at the Florennes site – on 23 September.

Separately, Belgium has placed its four NH Industries NH90 tactical transport helicopters into storage, having announced a decision earlier this year to withdraw the model from use. Another four examples fielded in the NFH naval-variant model will remain in operational service, however.