79
LIGHTNING P IONEERS
urrently, the Royal Netherlands Air
Force (RNLAF) operates two F-35As
from Edwards AFB, California, where
it participates in Operational Test and
Evaluation (OT&E) under the umbrella of the
Joint Operational Test Team (JOTT). From
2019 onwards, 35 additional F-35As will be
delivered to ultimately replace the F-16.
The Netherlands is the only Tier
2 F-35 partner nation besides Italy,
and invested $800m in the System
Development and Demonstration (SDD)
phase. This investment provides
local Dutch aerospace industries with
the opportunity to participate in the
development of sophisticated components,
such as doors and wiring for all F-35s
as well as the tailhook for the F-35C.
Another benefit of becoming a Tier 2
nation is participation in IOT&E. This
provides the RNLAF with a chance to
learn about the aircraft and contribute
to the fine-tuning of desired capabilities,
before the first Lightning IIs are
delivered to Leeuwarden in 2019.
The first Dutch F-35A, aircraft – F-001/
AN-01 – was delivered to the RNLAF in- F-001 is an LRIP 3 batch aircraft
and was followed by F-002 from LRIP 4.
Both aircraft are almost identical and are
now updated to the 3F standard. The two
jets are operated by 323 Test & Evaluation
Squadron (TES) under the command of Col
Albert ‘Vidal’ de Smit, who heads up
the Dutch F-35 operations at Edwards.
C