Belgian Air Force Takes Delivery of Three F-35A Fighter Jets Flown In from the USA

The Belgian Air Force has received a new batch of three F-35A Lightning II multi-role fighter jets, which arrived at Florennes Air Base after a flight from the United States.

The Belgian Air Force reported this.

The three Belgian fighter jets departed from the United States on September 15, along with three F-35As destined for the Finnish Air Force. The flight to Europe routed via the Azores with support from refueling aircraft.

Another Belgian F-35A is expected to arrive by the end of 2026. After that, the 2nd Tactical Wing at Florenne Air Base will have eight of this type of aircraft. Belgium has ordered a total of 34 F-35A fighter jets to replace its fleet of F-16s.

The arrival of new F-35As in the Belgian Air Force will determine the pace at which Belgium transfers F-16s to Ukraine. By the end of 2026, the country plans to transfer seven F-16s to Ukraine: three for combat use and four as a source of spare parts. In total, Belgium plans to transfer all 53 of its F-16s to Ukraine by the end of 2029.

Deliveries of the F-35A directly to Belgium began in 2025. Florennes has become the main base for the new fighter jets, and the aircraft are also planned to be stationed at Kleine-Brogel Air Base in the future.

At the same time, Belgium plans to expand its future F-35A fleet. Militarnyi previously reported that the country’s government is considering purchasing an additional batch of fighters as part of the Air Force’s ongoing rearmament.