The Netherlands was one of the four start-up European NATO customers for the F-16, along with Belgium, Denmark, and Norway. F-16s destined for the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force, sometimes abbreviated as KLu) underwent final assembly at the Fokker/VFW production. This line first opened up for business in April of 1978, and was the second of the European F-16 final assembly lines to open, SABCA in Belgium being the first. The first Dutch-built F-16 took off on its maiden flight on May 3, 1979, with test pilot Henk Temmen at the controls.
The initial Dutch order for F-16A/B aircraft was for 102 examples. The F-16s of the KLu were assigned the primary responsibility of close support within NATO's 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force, with a secondary role of air support within the airspace allocated to the Netherlands within the NATO command structure. Initial delivery of the F-16A/B to the KLu took place in June of 1979. Initial training for the F-16 in the KLu began with the CAV at Leeuwarden in October of 1979. This unit handled conversion of Dutch pilots to the F-16 until it was deactivated in March of 1986. The first KLu F-16 unit to achieve operational capability was 322 Squadron, based at Leeuwarden, which was declared operational in December of 1979.
In March of 1980, the Netherlands announced plans (finally approved by the Dutch Parliament in December 1983) to increase its purchase of F-16s from 102 to 213 aircraft. 52 of these 111 aditional arcraft were F-16A/B-15 OCU aircraft.
In 1989, the Netherlands ordered an attrition replacement batch of 10 F-16As (understood to be manufactured by General Dynamics rather then by Fokker). A further F-15A/B Block 15 OCU aircraft are now on order.
The last F-16 rolled of the line at Fokker's Schipol plant on February 27, 1990. It was J-021 (89-0021), and was the last of 213 examples delivered to the KLu. The F-16s have completely replaced the F-104G Starfighters and NF-5A/B Freedom Fighters that had previously equipped the KLu.
All of the Block 1 and 5 aircraft were brought up to Block 10 standards between 1982 and 1984. The Block 15 aircraft have been subjected to an Operational Capabilities Upgrade (OCU) since late 1987. All of the aircraft received the Mid Life Update between 1991 and 1997, which upgraded the cockpit and avionics to the equivalent of that of the F-16C/D Block 50/52, along with the ability to employ radar-guided air-to-air missiles.
The following KLu units operate the F-16:
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306 Squadron, Volkel/De Peel
For logistics regions, operates from Volkel, but its wartime assigned base is De Peel. Under the 1993 defense review, De Peel is scheduled to be closed.
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311 Squadron, Volkel
Received its first Block 15 aircraft in May 1982 and became operational in October 1983. Currently operates a mixture of Block 10 and Block 15 machines.
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312 Squadron, Volkel
Initially equipped with the final batch of Block 15 aircraft from the original order.
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313 Squadron, Twenthe
Received its first F-16 in June 1989, but did not become operational on the type until April 1990. Took over operational conversion task from 316 Squadron in 1994.
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314 Squadron, Gilze-Rijen
Last KLu squadron to be re-equipped with F-16 (1990), replacing the NF-5A Freedom Fighter. Deactivated in July 1996.
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315 Squadron, Twenthe
First of the former Canadair NF-5 users to transition to F-16A/B.
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316 Squadron, Eindhoven
Last unit to transition to the F-16 in Holland. Formed as operational conversion unit for F-16, and began operations in May, 1991. Deactivated in April 1994, transferring its aircraft and OCU duties to No 313 .
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322 Squadron, Leeuwarden
First operational KLu squadron (December 1979, achieving
IOC in May 1981). Now primarily equipped with Block 15
aircraft.
- 323 Squadron, Leeuwarden Became operational with F-16 in April 1982. Charged with the dual roles of fighter attack and operational conversion. Served as role conversion training unit until 1989, when F-16 training responsibility was transferred to the USA.
In the interception role, KLu F-16s are equipped with AIM-9J, -9L, and -9M Sidewinder AAMs. Hughes AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles are to be obtained for longer-range interceptions. 311 Squadron had a tactical nuclear commitment, which it carried out with US-supplied nuclear weapons. Other F-16 units have Mk83 bombs and 70-mm rocket pods and may also have the capability of delivering laser-guided *Paveway* bombs. No 306 Squadron had a tactical reconnaissance mission, and its F-16s were reconnaissance versions with a radar altimeter and a control box for a Oude Delft Orpheus sensor pod. However, early in the 1990s this capability was lost and the squadron was reassigned to the task of the laser-designation of targets.
Ten KLu F-16s were based in Tucson, Arizona beginning in 1989, where the 148th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron of the Arizona ANG used them for the training of new Dutch pilots. This activity ceased in 1994, and the 148th TFTS was itself scheduled for deactivation sometime during 1995.
In a 1993 Defense White Paper, the Dutch government announced plans to cut the force of F-16s to 108, with as many as 36 F-16s being sold. The number of front-line squadrons would be reduced from nine to six. Squadrons 306, 315, and 322 would be earmarked for peacekeeping operations, and two other squadrons would be scheduled for deactivation by 1996. The training unit, 316 Squadron, at Eindhoven was deactivated in April 1994 and its operational conversion task was turned over to 313 Squadron at Twenthe. No 314 Squadron was disbanded on January 1, 1996.
Many Block 15 F-16A/Bs operated by the Netherlands Air Force had been scheduled to go through a Mid-Life Update (MLU) in which they would be brought up to approximately F-16C/D Block 50/52 standards. They were to be fitted with an AN/APG-66(V2A) radar, GPS navigational aids, a wide-angle HUD, night-vision goggle capability, a modular mission computer, and a digital terrain system. A Multinational Operational Test and Evaluation for the F-16A/B Mid-Life Update will be undertaken at Leeuwarden air base during 1997. As part of continuing defense cuts, the number of KLu F-16s to undergo MLU was reduced from 170 to 136 in mid-1993. The program is scheduled to start in 1996 and will last until 1999. This will extend the life of the KLu F-16 fleet until 2010, when a replacement would have to be found. The first MLU aircraft (J-878) was delivered to 311 Squadron on March 17, 2000.
In 1995, Pratt & Whitney received a contract to upgrade 92 of the KLu's F100-PW-200-powered F-16 fighters to -220E power and durability standards. This will bring them up to standards of the 42 KLu F-16s already fitted with F100-PW-220 engines.
The proposed sale of KLu F-16s to overseas customers may be reviewed due to increasing attrition losses. By early 1996, 27 KLu F-16s had been written off in accidents, with a number of the earlier aircraft having been retired and being used for ground instruction.
Three of the active KLu F-16 squadrons are dedicated to the NATO Rapid Reaction Force. Drawn from Nos 306, 315, and 322 Squadrons, one unit is assigned on rotation to the Deny Flight peacekeeping operation based out of Villafranca-Verona air base in northern Italy.
RNAF F-16s participated in the NATO joint operation over Kosovo during the war. A Serbian MiG-29 was shot down by a Dutch F-16AM during the Kosovo war in 1998. Dutch F-16s were also deployed during the 2011 intervention in Libya and in Afghanistan.
All European-manufactured F-16s carry USAF serial numbers for record-keeping purposes. KLu F-16s carry the last three digits of their USAF serials on their vertical tails, prefixed by a J.
Serials of F-16s operated by the KLu:
78-0212/0223 General Dynamics F-16A Block 1 Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-212/J-223) 78-0224/0237 General Dynamics F-16A Block 5 Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-224/J-237) 78-0238/0242 General Dynamics F-16A Block 10 Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-238/J-242) 78-0243/0249 General Dynamics F-16A Block 10A Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-243/J-249) 78-0250/0253 General Dynamics F-16A Block 10B Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-250/J-253) 78-0254/0257 General Dynamics F-16A Block 10C Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-254/J-257) 78-0258 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15 Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-258) 78-0259/0264 General Dynamics F-16B Block 1 Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-259/J-264) 0259 was J-259, and was first Fokker- built F-16 78-0265/0266 General Dynamics F-16B Block 5 Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-265/J-266) 78-0267 General Dynamics F-16B Block 10 Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-267) 78-0268 General Dynamics F-16B Block 10A Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-268) 78-0269 General Dynamics F-16B Block 10B Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-269) 78-0270/271 General Dynamics F-16B Block 10C Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-270/271) 80-3616/3618 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15 Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-616/618) 80-3619/3623 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15B Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-619/623) 80-3624/3629 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15D Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-624/629) 80-3630/3635 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15F Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-630/635) 80-3636/3641 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15H Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-636/641) 80-3642/3645 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15K Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-642/645) 80-3646/3648 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15M Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-646/648) 80-3649/3650 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15B Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland. (J-649/650) 80-3651 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15D Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland. (J-651) 80-3652/3653 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15F Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland. (J-652/653) 80-3654/3655 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15H Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland. (J-654/655) 80-3656/3657 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15K Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland. (J-656/657) 81-0864 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15M Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-864) 81-0865/0869 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15P Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-865/869) 81-0870/0879 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15R Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-870/879) 81-0880/0881 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15T Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-880/881) 81-0882 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15M Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-882) 81-0884/0885 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15S Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-884/J-885) 83-1192/1196 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15T Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-192/196) 83-1197/1206 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15U Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-197/206) 83-1207 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15W Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-207) 83-1208/1209 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15T Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-208/209) 83-1210/1211 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15U Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-210/211) 84-1358/1365 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15W Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-358/365) 84-1366/1367 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15X Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-366/367) 84-1368/1369 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15W Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-368,369) 85-0135/0140 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15X Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-135/140) 85-0141/0146 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15Y OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-141/146) 86-0054 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15Y OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-054) 86-0055/0061 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AA OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-055/061) 86-0062/0063 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AC OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-062/063) 86-0064 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15Y OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-064) 86-0065 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15AA OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-065) 87-0066 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15AC OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-066) 87-0067/0068 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15AE OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-067/068) 87-0710 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AE OCU Fighting Falcon to Netherlands as J-710 88-0001/0002 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AE OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-001/J-002). 88-0003/0010 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AG OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-003/J-010). 88-0011/0012 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AJ OCU Fighting Falcon built by Fokker for Holland (J-011/J-012). J-012 crashed into North Sea 1/10/96. 89-0013/0018 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AJ OCU Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-013/018) 89-0019/0021 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AL OCU Fighting Falcon Built by Fokker for Holland (J-019/021) 0021 was the last Fokker-built F-16 (J-021)
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- General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fighting_Falcon
