The municipality of Peer, Limburg, is to set up a participatory forum to prepare for the arrival of new F-35 fighter jets at the Kleine-Brogel Air Base, expected in 2027, Mayor Steven Matheï announced on Monday.
“We invite (the Ministry of) Defence, residents and other partners, such as holiday villages and schools, to participate,” Mayor Matheï said. “We will encourage a positive consultation process that will examine, among other things, the noise impact of these new aircraft.”
The thirty-four F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters, powered by a powerful F135 engine will replace the current F-16s at the air base. They were ordered in 2018 and the first ones are expected in Kleine-Brogel in 2027, two years after the arrival of the first aircraft at the Florennes Air Base in the Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse region.
According to Matheï, the arrival of the F-35s raises “quite a few questions,” such as their impact in terms of noise and the environment, the flight hours and the air routes used.
The idea of holding the forum originated in a similar initiative taken by the Dutch city of Leeuwarden, which has been hosting F-35A aircraft since 2019 and where local residents have complained about increased noise compared to the old F-16s.
Matheï said he would send an invitation "this month" to the meeting to the commander of the Kleine-Brogel base and the 10th tactical wing, Colonel Koen Vanheste. The invitation will then be extended to neighbouring municipalities, local residents and other partners.
Stéphane Lasseaux, mayor of Florennes, described the Limburg initiative as interesting.
