Belgium also opts for Joint Strike Fighter

Belgium chooses the American fighter jet of the builder Lockheed Martin to succeed the F-16. This is what the Belgian government decided on Thursday afternoon. After years of consultation, the F-35, as well as its official name is JSF, was the first to bid with two other candidates: the British, German, Spanish and Italian Eurofighter typhoon and the French Rafale of Dassault.

Prime Minister Charles Michel said at the press conference during which he had announced the choice to remain a "powerful partner" of NATO and Europe. "Our defense spending now accounts for 0.9% of GDP, making us one of the lowest spending countries." Belgium will buy 34 F-35A Lightning II aircraft for more than 3 billion euros. # 39; euros. The first JSF will come to Belgium from 2023. The country also buys drones, mine hunters and blind vehicles. They come partly from France.

Winner of the opinion

The question of combat aircraft has long been a hot topic in Belgium. In 2017, it was decided to replace the F-16s since the 1970s with new aircraft, but it was difficult to determine for a certain time which company could provide the replacement.

This spring, the case has gained momentum around the purchase of the aircraft. A study published in 2016 revealed that the replacement of the F-16s was not at all necessary: ​​the aircraft could last six years longer than expected and would have concealed the top of the army. In the end, it was decided later this year that replacement was indeed necessary.

In the end, Frenchman Dassault did not submit an offer and was therefore awarded to Eurofighter and Lockheed Martin. The latter has now become the big winner of the call for bids. The US aircraft was the best of seven assessment criteria, according to Defense Minister Steven Vandeput. The JSF has, among other things, stealth technology, which makes the camera invisible to radar. Finally, the purchase price is finally half a billion lower than the 3.6 billion budgeted and the economic benefits of contracts with Belgian companies would be greater than those of the purchase of the Eurofighter.

Cooperation with the Netherlands

The company was not only important in technical and financial terms, but also political. Eurofighter promised a collaboration with the British Royal Air Force. The French promised economic benefits if the choice was theirs.

JSF is useful in the context of defense cooperation. Italy, Denmark, Norway and the United Kingdom have already commanded the aircraft, and the Netherlands, with which the Belgian Air Force already cooperates closely, has already opted for the JSF. Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld (CDA) reacted by tweeting to congratulate himself on the news

Nice colleague in the press @svandeput . This is well in the context of cooperation, especially in operations (international) and in the quick reaction alert that we are doing together. "Https://t.co/PKaOstO45u

Ank Bijleveld (@MinBijleveld) 25 October 2018

The JSF is not undisputed.The device still suffers regular technical problems, such as software that does not yet work optimally.Development costs have already increased significantly in recent years.