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Belgium to buy 11 additional F-35As and commit to FCAS as full partner

21st July 2025 - 17:31 GMT | by Lucy Powell in London, UK

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The new order boosts Belgium’s planned F-35A fleet to 45 aircraft. (Photo: USAF)

The aircraft acquisition and Future Combat Air System (FCAS) commitment comes as the country published its Strategic Defence Plan on 18 July, which also includes plans to invest in a surface-based air and missile defence system.

Belgium has committed to strengthen its crewed air capabilities with the confirmed purchase of 11 additional F-35A fighter aircraft as key part of its Strategic Defence Plan, published 18 July.

The country first approved the purchase of 34 F-35 aircraft to replace its 54 F-16 aircraft in 2018. The numbers of F-16 aircraft are expected to be fully reduced by the end of 2028, with the replacement for these aircraft having started in 2024.

Eight of the original 34 ordered aircraft have been delivered to the US for training, with the Belgian Air Force set to receive the first F-35A

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