Belgian Lightning II

Just a few days to go! On Sunday 10 December 2023, Lockheed Martin will officially hand over the first Belgische Luchtmacht (BLu, Belgian Air Force) Lockheed F-35A Lightning II. A sneak preview of the serial presentation of the new fighter was released by Lockheed Martin.

The first Lightning IIs will be delivered to Luke AFB (AZ) where they will join 312th Fighter Squadron, part of the 56th Fighter Wing. This squadron was inactivated in 1991, but reactivated on 1 June 2023 as an F-35A training unit, primarily training F-35 crew for the Belgian Air Force.

In January 2018, the US Department of State approved the potential Foreign Military Sale of 34 F-35A Lightning IIs to Belgium, with an estimated cost of USD 6,5 billion. Later that year, on 25 October, Belgium officially selected the F-35A.

Credit photo: Lockheed Martin