The Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force hosted 24 students from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Participants included fighter pilots, intelligence officers, air battle managers, tactical airlift crews and ground-based air defense personnel.
The course placed the F-35 within a broader multinational combat environment rather than treating the aircraft as a stand-alone platform. Dutch and Danish F-35s trained alongside Finnish F/A-18 fighters and commercial aircraft providing adversary air support.
Training missions were flown from Leeuwarden in as many as three waves each day. Individual waves involved up to 20 military aircraft.
The exercises were designed to teach participants how to integrate advanced air capabilities and command multinational operations. Students also trained to plan and lead Large Force Employment missions involving multiple aircraft and supporting systems.
The curriculum combined fifth-generation fighters with intelligence, command and control, electronic warfare and ground-based air defense. NATO said the approach is intended to strengthen interoperability and improve the speed and effectiveness of allied decision-making.
The use of the F-35 is particularly relevant to that model because several participating nations operate the same aircraft type. NATO said common platforms help allied forces work together more effectively during coalition missions.
The Weapons Instructor Course develops personnel who become senior tactical specialists within their national air forces. Graduates return to their units to train other personnel and help lead future multinational air operations.
The program also gives pilots and operational commanders experience managing complex air operations involving different national forces. Participation by Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway supports the continued exchange of tactical knowledge across Northern Europe.
The Netherlands phase will be followed by further training in Norway. NATO said the sequence reflects the growing integration of allied air forces across the region.
The course forms part of NATO’s wider focus on operational readiness and interoperability. Training with common aircraft such as the F-35 is intended to improve the ability of national forces to operate together during alliance missions.
Leeuwarden Air Base has supported advanced air warfare training since the 1950s and hosts the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Weapons School. The base conducts the Weapons Instructor Course every two years.
The course has developed from a national training program into a multinational framework supporting NATO air operations. Its current format places fifth-generation fighters, including the F-35, within a wider network of aircraft, command systems and air-defense capabilities.
