Introduction
The Belgian Air Force was one of the first four international customers for the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Belgium ordered a total of 160 F-16s in two batches. Heavy attrition and restructuring of the armed forces reduced the operational inventory to 72 aircraft. The remaining aircraft have been stored or sold (14 to Jordan for example).
Although the entiry inventory consists of F-16A and F-16B models, all 72 remaining operational aircraft have been upgraded to MLU standard.
The fleet will be further reduced to 60 aircraft by 2015. No decision has been taken on possible replacements, if any.
History
In the late 1970s, Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands started looking for a replacement for the F-104 Starfighter. These four nations, known as the European Participating Air Forces (EPAF), became the first international customers for the F-16. Together with the US, they started a unique multi-national development program for the F-16. Under the terms of the agreement, F-16 Fighting Falcons for the EPAF nations were to be produced locally.
Belgium was one of two EPAF nations responsible for the European production of F-16s (the other one being the Netherlands). The primary Belgian contractor in the F-16 program was the Societe Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aeronautiques (SABCA), responsible for the final assembly of F-16s intended for both Belgian and Danish service, The F100 engines for the F-16s of all four nations in the European consortium were manufactured by the Belgian Fabrique National.(now Techspace Aero). The Belgian company MBLE produced the F-16 radar for three of the four EPAF nations.
The EPAF consortium funded, developed and produced an initial 348 F-16s, with an eventual total of 524, for their respective air forces. SABCA even produced 3 F-16s for the US Air Force
Belgium ordered a total of 160 F-16s. Heavy restructuring after the end of the Cold War hit the Belgian Air Force (BAF) hard. It ceased to exist as an independent entity and became the Belgian Armed Forces Air Component (COMOPSAIR). The F-16 inventory was reduced to 72 airframes (updated to MLU standard). It lost one of its 3 F-16 wings and currently operates 2 Wings with 2 Squadrons each. The fighter fleet will be further reduced to 60 aircraft by 2015.
Inventory
Initial Order
The initial Belgian order was for 116 F-16 aircraft (96 single-seaters and 20 two-seaters). In February 1978, the first European F-16 assembly line opened at SABCA, followed by the first flight of a Belgian-built F-16 on December 11, 1978. The aircraft, (an F-16B Block 1), was flown by SABCA test pilot Serge Margin with General Dynamics test pilot Neil Anderson riding in the back seat. It was accepted by the Belgian AF on January 29th, 1979, being the first locally built F-16 to be delivered to a European Operator. Beginning in September 1981, 35 early production Belgian F-16s (the Block 1s and Block 5s) were rotated back through the SABCA factory for cockpit modifications and some updating of the avionics, including the APG-66 radar. The modifications effectively brought the 35 airframes up to Block 10 standards.
Delivery of these first 116 aircraft to the Belgische Luchtmacht / Force Aerienne Belge (Belgian Air Force) was completed in May of 1985, with a final batch of Block 15's.
Armament
Standard weapons fit for the Belgian F-16s is the AIM-9 Sidewinder and iron bombs (Mk 82 GP bomb in three different versions: BSU-49 RT 'Balloot', MAU-93 NRT 'Slick', Mk 15 RT 'Snakeye'). Recently (1995-1996) deals have been concluded concerning the purchase of 72 AIM-120 AMRAAM and 12 TAGM-65 Maverick missiles. The acquired numbers may seem rather small: the Belgian AF lacks funds to maintain a war stock and the decision was taken to buy sufficient rounds to train both weapon handlers and pilots, and buy or loan more when and if needed. After 'Allied Force' the Belgian government decided to expand it's stock of high profile weapons and another batch of AMRAAM's and about 40 AGM-65 were bought to complement the stock.
With the introduction of the MLU aircraft, other weapon systems could also be used. Besides the above mentioned AIM-120 and AGM-65 weapons, the Belgian AF acquired a batch of GBU-10, GBU-12 and GBU-24 laser-guided bombs in 2000. The acquisition of a number of GBU-31 JDAM bombs is under consideration. To make optimal use of these weapons the Belgian government decided in 2000 to buy 8 AN/AAQ-14 Sharpshooter targeting pods. About 50 NVG's were also acquired to make it easier for the pilots to execute operations at night.
| Program | Model | Block | Qty. | Serials | Delivered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Order | F-16A | Block 1 | 17 | FA-01/FA-17 | 1979-1980 |
| F-16B | Block 1 | 6 | FB-01/FB-06 | 1979-1980 | |
| F-16A | Block 5 | 8 | FA-18/FA-25 | 1980-1981 | |
| F-16B | Block 5 | 4 | FB-07/FB-10 | 1980-1981 | |
| F-16A | Block 10 | 30 | FA-26/FA-55 | 1981-1982 | |
| F-16B | Block 10 | 2 | FB-11/FB-12 | 1981-1982 | |
| F-16A | Block 15 | 41 | FA-56/FA-96 | 1983-1985 | |
| F-16B | Block 15 | 8 | FB-13/FB-20 | 1982-1983 | |
| Follow-On Order | F-16A | Block 15OCU | 40 | FA-97/FA-136 | 1988-1991 |
| F-16B | Block 15OCU | 4 | FB-21/FB-24 | 1989-1990 |
