The Netherlands Air Force (HHQ) retired all F-16 fighters and completely switched to the F-35.
Oku.Az TASS reports that this is stated in the press release of the Dutch Ministry of Defense.
Eight F-16s flew at an altitude of at least 400 meters over locations such as the Vlieland training ground, Susterberg air base and the Ministry of Defense building in The Hague.
It was noted that this type of hunting has been used in the Netherlands for more than 45 years and brings benefits both inside and outside the country.
Aircraft that are not put into service or sold will be transferred to other countries. In total, we are talking about 42 fighters, 18 of which should be sent to the pilot training center in Romania and 24 to Ukraine. 14 of the promised fighters have already been delivered to Romania. In addition, the Netherlands delivered a certain number of F-16s to Ukraine, but for security reasons their exact number is not reported.
It should be noted that the Netherlands began the transition to the F-35 fighter jet in 2019. In total, 52 fighters were ordered from the United States, 40 of which have already been delivered and are being used by the Netherlands Air Force. Furthermore, in early September, the Ministry of Defense announced that it intended to purchase six additional F-35s in the context of the budget increase.
