Belgium’s First F-35A Arrival Set to Unlock Early F-16 Transfers to Ukraine
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Belgium will receive its first four F-35A jets at Florennes Air Base on Monday, Oct. 13, a milestone publicly scheduled by the Belgian Defense events calendar and local media. Officials say the delivery unlocks Brussels’ conditions for advancing F-16 transfers to Ukraine, aligning the step with coalition timelines.
On Saturday, 11 October 2025, Belgium’s Air Component stood on the verge of a generational handover as the country prepared to receive its first four F-35A fighters at Florennes Air Base on Monday, 13 October. The milestone caps a seven-year procurement cycle and triggers the conditions Brussels had set for releasing additional F-16s to Kyiv. As reported by Le Soir, “the delivery will open the way for Belgium to send its F-16 jets to Ukraine,” Defense Minister Theo Francken said in an interview, signaling that transfers could now be advanced on the coalition timeline.
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Belgium’s receipt of its first home-based F-35s is more than a fleet update; it activates a two-track airpower calculus in which Brussels deepens NATO’s frontline deterrence with a fifth-generation spear while backfilling Ukraine with proven F-16 capacity (Picture source: Lockheed Martin/ Fighter Sweep)
Lockheed Martin’s F-35A brings a low-observable airframe integrated with the AN/APG-81 AESA radar, the AN/ASQ-239 electronic warfare suite, EOTS/EO-DAS electro-optics and secure, high-bandwidth datalinks, allowing pilots to fuse and share a single tactical picture with other assets. In Belgian service, the type will stand up first with the 1st Squadron at Florennes before expanding to Kleine-Brogel, with full quick-reaction alert readiness targeted by 2027, according to allied reporting. In parallel, Belgium’s F-16AM/BM fleet, MLU-standard aircraft with Link-16, helmet cueing, precision-guidance compatibility and AMRAAM, remains in service to ensure continuous air policing and expeditionary commitments during the transition.
Belgium’s fighter recapitalization rests on decades of operational experience with the F-16. Belgian F-16s flew NATO combat over Libya in 2011 and conducted multiple rotations for Operation Inherent Resolve from 2014 to 2021, executing precision strike, ISR and force protection tasks from Jordan and the wider theatre. That record shaped the 2018 decision to select the F-35A, first airframes were used for pilot conversion in the U.S., with the initial home-based quartet now formally arriving, while Belgium keeps F-16s in service through the late 2020s to bridge training, infrastructure and mission-system integration.
Compared with contemporary 4.5-generation fighters such as Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale, the F-35A’s defining edge lies in the combination of very-low-observable shaping and deep sensor-fusion across radar, electro-optical and EW apertures. Typhoon’s ECRS/Captor-E and Rafale’s RBE2-AA/SPECTRA have matured markedly, offering powerful AESA performance and robust electronic protection; however, neither couples that sensor suite to an VLO airframe designed to operate persistently inside modern IADS while acting as a battle-network node. For Belgium, that translates into earlier detection, lower exposure and richer multi-domain data for NATO.
For Ukraine, Belgian F-16AM/BM variants are strategically significant because they align with the coalition’s training, spares and weapons ecosystem already established by Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Standardization on MLU-era mission systems (Link-16, NATO IFF Mode 5, AMRAAM and Western precision weapons where authorized) simplifies fleet sustainment and sortie generation while expanding options for defensive counter-air, standoff strike and, if paired with appropriate integrations, suppression of enemy air defenses. Belgium’s formal handover pace has been tied to F-35 arrivals; government guidance this spring pointed to initial Belgian F-16 deliveries in 2026, with the drawdown continuing as F-35 squadrons ramp. For Belgium itself, fielding the F-35A strengthens NATO’s northern air policing, deepens interoperability in the Benelux/Baltic corridors and supports the alliance’s nuclear-sharing posture as the Lightning II assumes the dual-capable role from legacy F-16s amid heightened NATO–Russia tensions.
Budgetarily, the 2018 contract for 34 F-35As was valued around €3.8–4.0 billion including infrastructure and support; this year Brussels confirmed a follow-on buy of 11 additional aircraft, widely estimated at roughly €1.5–1.7 billion, as part of a broader defence uplift toward (and beyond) the 2%-of-GDP benchmark. On the Ukrainian side, Belgium’s publicly stated transfer plan sequences airframes and spares from 2025–2028, with two F-16s provided for cannibalization in 2025 and the first operational jets targeted for 2026, contingent on F-35 in-country delivery and readiness.
Belgium’s receipt of its first home-based F-35s is more than a fleet update; it activates a two-track airpower calculus in which Brussels deepens NATO’s frontline deterrence with a fifth-generation spear while backfilling Ukraine with proven F-16 capacity. The timing, ceremonial arrival on 13 October following initial deliveries reported earlier this month, tightens Europe’s collective air posture and gives Kyiv another credible path to sustain and scale combat-ready sorties in 2026. As reported by Le Soir, the minister’s message is unambiguous: these F-35s are the key that unlocks Belgium’s F-16 handover, an operational choice with real weight across the alliance’s eastern flank.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Belgium will receive its first four F-35A jets at Florennes Air Base on Monday, Oct. 13, a milestone publicly scheduled by the Belgian Defense events calendar and local media. Officials say the delivery unlocks Brussels’ conditions for advancing F-16 transfers to Ukraine, aligning the step with coalition timelines.
On Saturday, 11 October 2025, Belgium’s Air Component stood on the verge of a generational handover as the country prepared to receive its first four F-35A fighters at Florennes Air Base on Monday, 13 October. The milestone caps a seven-year procurement cycle and triggers the conditions Brussels had set for releasing additional F-16s to Kyiv. As reported by Le Soir, “the delivery will open the way for Belgium to send its F-16 jets to Ukraine,” Defense Minister Theo Francken said in an interview, signaling that transfers could now be advanced on the coalition timeline.
Belgium’s receipt of its first home-based F-35s is more than a fleet update; it activates a two-track airpower calculus in which Brussels deepens NATO’s frontline deterrence with a fifth-generation spear while backfilling Ukraine with proven F-16 capacity (Picture source: Lockheed Martin/ Fighter Sweep)
Lockheed Martin’s F-35A brings a low-observable airframe integrated with the AN/APG-81 AESA radar, the AN/ASQ-239 electronic warfare suite, EOTS/EO-DAS electro-optics and secure, high-bandwidth datalinks, allowing pilots to fuse and share a single tactical picture with other assets. In Belgian service, the type will stand up first with the 1st Squadron at Florennes before expanding to Kleine-Brogel, with full quick-reaction alert readiness targeted by 2027, according to allied reporting. In parallel, Belgium’s F-16AM/BM fleet, MLU-standard aircraft with Link-16, helmet cueing, precision-guidance compatibility and AMRAAM, remains in service to ensure continuous air policing and expeditionary commitments during the transition.
Belgium’s fighter recapitalization rests on decades of operational experience with the F-16. Belgian F-16s flew NATO combat over Libya in 2011 and conducted multiple rotations for Operation Inherent Resolve from 2014 to 2021, executing precision strike, ISR and force protection tasks from Jordan and the wider theatre. That record shaped the 2018 decision to select the F-35A, first airframes were used for pilot conversion in the U.S., with the initial home-based quartet now formally arriving, while Belgium keeps F-16s in service through the late 2020s to bridge training, infrastructure and mission-system integration.
Compared with contemporary 4.5-generation fighters such as Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale, the F-35A’s defining edge lies in the combination of very-low-observable shaping and deep sensor-fusion across radar, electro-optical and EW apertures. Typhoon’s ECRS/Captor-E and Rafale’s RBE2-AA/SPECTRA have matured markedly, offering powerful AESA performance and robust electronic protection; however, neither couples that sensor suite to an VLO airframe designed to operate persistently inside modern IADS while acting as a battle-network node. For Belgium, that translates into earlier detection, lower exposure and richer multi-domain data for NATO.
For Ukraine, Belgian F-16AM/BM variants are strategically significant because they align with the coalition’s training, spares and weapons ecosystem already established by Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Standardization on MLU-era mission systems (Link-16, NATO IFF Mode 5, AMRAAM and Western precision weapons where authorized) simplifies fleet sustainment and sortie generation while expanding options for defensive counter-air, standoff strike and, if paired with appropriate integrations, suppression of enemy air defenses. Belgium’s formal handover pace has been tied to F-35 arrivals; government guidance this spring pointed to initial Belgian F-16 deliveries in 2026, with the drawdown continuing as F-35 squadrons ramp. For Belgium itself, fielding the F-35A strengthens NATO’s northern air policing, deepens interoperability in the Benelux/Baltic corridors and supports the alliance’s nuclear-sharing posture as the Lightning II assumes the dual-capable role from legacy F-16s amid heightened NATO–Russia tensions.
Budgetarily, the 2018 contract for 34 F-35As was valued around €3.8–4.0 billion including infrastructure and support; this year Brussels confirmed a follow-on buy of 11 additional aircraft, widely estimated at roughly €1.5–1.7 billion, as part of a broader defence uplift toward (and beyond) the 2%-of-GDP benchmark. On the Ukrainian side, Belgium’s publicly stated transfer plan sequences airframes and spares from 2025–2028, with two F-16s provided for cannibalization in 2025 and the first operational jets targeted for 2026, contingent on F-35 in-country delivery and readiness.
Belgium’s receipt of its first home-based F-35s is more than a fleet update; it activates a two-track airpower calculus in which Brussels deepens NATO’s frontline deterrence with a fifth-generation spear while backfilling Ukraine with proven F-16 capacity. The timing, ceremonial arrival on 13 October following initial deliveries reported earlier this month, tightens Europe’s collective air posture and gives Kyiv another credible path to sustain and scale combat-ready sorties in 2026. As reported by Le Soir, the minister’s message is unambiguous: these F-35s are the key that unlocks Belgium’s F-16 handover, an operational choice with real weight across the alliance’s eastern flank.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
