Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Sunday witnessed the rollout of the first of Belgium’s F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft at a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.
The unveiling ceremony, organised by the aircraft's builder, US defence group Lockheed Martin, was also witnessed by US Ambassador to Belgium Michael Adler, military personnel, industry leaders and officials.
Prime Minister De Croo praised the cooperation between the two countries, emphasising that this was a key moment in their bilateral relations. Several commercial deals involving Belgian businesses were concluded in conjunction with the ceremony.
The rollout of the first Belgian F-35A fighter comes five years after the previous government ordered 34 such aircraft, back in October 2018. These planes are to replace the ageing fleet of roughly fifty F-16s still in operation within the Air Force by 2030, under a contract worth close to €4 billion, according to the Department of Defence.
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Seven other aircraft destined for Belgium are at various stages of completion at the vast Fort Worth factory.
The rollout of the new aircraft, identified as FL001 and bearing the manufacturing serial number AY-01, does not signify its immediate deployment.
It was produced in an advanced configuration known as TR-3 (Technology Refresh 3) and Block 4. However, the certification of this new standard has experienced delays.
