After gradually retiring its last fourth-generation F-16 on September 26, the Royal Netherlands Air Force became the second country in the world to deploy a fighter fleet composed entirely of fifth-generation aircraft. The F-16AM/BM Block 15, one of the oldest F-16 fighter jets still flying around the world, was provided by the United States in the early 1980s. The F-16 has been completely replaced by the F-35, which is currently the only fifth-generation fighter jet in production in the Western world. Commenting on the F-35's full takeover of the F-16's role, the Air Force announced: “Whether it is monitoring Benelux airspace (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), conducting operations such as containing terrorism, or contributing to NATO's nuclear deterrent, The F-35 can do it all. As of today, the aircraft is fully operational in all circumstances. In the jargon, it is fully operational. title=”Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16”
The Royal Norwegian Air Force became the first service in the world to retrofit its fighter fleet in January 2022
In the Netherlands, where F-35s are tasked with nuclear delivery in addition to conventional missions, the country retains access to the U.S. B61-12 nuclear bomb under a nuclear-sharing agreement. F-35s under 313 Squadron take over the country's nuclear strike role effective June 1, 2024, which has been performed by F-16 fighter jets for decades. This makes the country the first in Europe, and possibly the first outside the United States, to deploy a force of stealth fighter jets capable of launching nuclear strikes, while the U.S. Air Force's F-35s themselves only “achieved nuclear strike capability on March 9.” title=”F-35 drops simulated B61 nuclear bomb”
The Royal Netherlands Air Force is currently ordering 52 F-35s, 40 of which have been delivered. The country is currently planning to order six more fighter jets to add two F-35s to each of its planned three squadrons. Two squadrons are currently in service, including the 322nd Squadron at Leeuwarden Air Base and the 313th Squadron at Volker Air Base. Despite its many benefits, converting to an entirely F-35 fleet has proven to have significant disadvantages, as the experience of the Royal Norwegian Air Force demonstrates. After facing early problems with the fighter jet, including the discovery that the plane was collecting sensitive data on Norwegian pilots and After returning it to the United States, Norway's F-35s remain difficult to operate, and a shortage of maintenance personnel has been a major problem for the notoriously maintenance-intensive aircraft. Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram told local media in May that the country was at risk of “situations where aircraft are stranded on the ground due to a lack of technical personnel,” leading the air force to seek support from national sources. Hire technical personnel from outside. Despite its high operational potential, the F-35 has been plagued by problems, including very low all-weather availability, currently at its lowest level in 2017. The U.S. Air Force is nearly 30 percent full of personnel and has hundreds of personnel with performance deficiencies. It is uncertain to what extent these problems will reduce the combat potential of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.