Belgium steps up F-35A preparations
Two of eight F-35As that Belgium has at Luke AFB in Arizona, which it is using to train air and ground crews ahead of the type's introduction into national service. (Benoît Denet)
Belgium has stepped up preparations for the introduction into service of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), inducting the first eight student pilots into the recently established Belgian F-35 Conversion Unit (BEL F-35 CU) at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona.
Under the supervision of two instructor pilots, the Belgian Air Component (BAC) students have arrived at the BEL F-35 CU with a minimum of 500 hours on the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, ahead of six weeks of theoretical instruction to be followed by simulator sessions and 25 training flights over a period of five-and-a-half months.
“We estimate that approximately 25% of our tactical experience acquired on the F-16 is transferable to the F-35,” Lieutenant Colonel Pierre-Yves Libert, head of the Belgian detachment at Luke AFB and the first Belgian pilot to fly the F-35, told Janes during a visit to the base earlier in April. “This means that 75% of the tactics are completely new, which forces us to rethink tactical problems. The training here is short but very demanding,” he added, noting that Belgian training at Luke AFB involves some 50 BAC personnel and is conducted within the US Air Force's 312th Fighter Squadron ‘Scorpions'. Other nationalities training at Luke AFB comprise Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, and US crews.
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