Netherlands says farewell to its F-16 fighter jets

A farewell flyover featuring some six to eight F-16 fighter jets will grace the skies over the country’s military airfields – including in Soesterberg, Breda, Eindhoven and The Hague – on Friday afternoon as the Royal Netherlands Air Force retires the Cold War era plane.

Twenty-four of the jets will head to Ukraine, while others will be used for training purposes abroad.

Developed in the 1970s as an air defense weapon, the American single-engine jet can also be used as a bomber. Its modular design allows for upgrades and modernisation, but it can’t accommodate some features, including stealth technology against radar detection, that the F-35s the Dutch air force has been using since 2013 do.

Frans Osinga, a former F-16 pilot and professor of war studies, told NOS that the F-16 is “a special and incredibly agile aircraft”, describing it as “the difference between a Fiat 500 and a Ferrari” compared to its predecessor, the F-5 fighter jet.

He also points to the jet’s longevity and usefulness. “F-16s have been deployed in peace operations to protect UN soldiers, but they have also protected our troops in peace missions in Afghanistan and taken action against ISIS above Iraq.”