The delivery is scheduled to take place later this year, with the Florennes Air Base set to become its home unit. Eight earlier aircraft, delivered in December 2024, are currently based at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for training purposes.
These jets are used to train both flying and technical personnel from Belgium. In total, Belgium has ordered 34 F-35A aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
The Belgian government is currently considering the purchase of additional aircraft, which would be assembled in Italy. Lockheed Martin has so far delivered over 1,185 F-35 Lightning II aircraft of all variants worldwide, using three final assembly lines.
The global F-35 fleet has logged more than one million flight hours. To date, nearly 3,000 pilots and over 18,000 maintenance personnel have been trained on the aircraft.
