MILITARY KONINKLIJKE LUCHTMACHT F-16
F
rom May 2017, the skies
over northern Holland have
been alive with the noise of
fast jets because Koninklijke
Luchtmacht F-16s were
ying in a new Fighter
Weapons Instructor Training
(FWIT) course. Student
pilots from the European
Participating Air Forces
(EPAF) F-16 community of Belgium, Denmark,
Norway, the Netherlands and Portugal are
learning to become weapons of cers.History
The rst FWIT run by the Koninklijke
Luchtmacht (KLU) took place at Leeuwarden
Air Base in 1984. The new event was
organized by 323 Squadron. Renamed in
1992 as the Tactical Training Evaluation and
Standardization (TACTES) Squadron, the unit
was tasked with providing advanced combat
training for all Dutch pilots. The course is
based on US Air Force weapons of cer
training, a gruelling course conducted by theWeapons School at Nellis Air Force Base,
Nevada. The main difference between the
two entities is that instructors serving with the
US Air Force Weapons School provide the
course curriculum as a fulltime job.
Nations participating in the FWIT send
their experienced weapon of cers, student
pilots, technicians and most importantly
aircraft from operational squadrons. After
nishing the course instructors and students
return to their own squadrons with the latest
information on tactics and weapons ready to
share their newly acquired knowledge with
their fellow pilots.
Until 2014, 323 Squadron was responsible
for organizing high quality FWIT courses
and Frisian Flag; the annual multi-national
exercise held at Leeuwarden. The squadron
was deactivated at Leeuwarden and almost
immediately reactivated at Edwards Air Force
Base, California as the Operational & Tactical
Evaluation Squadron for the Netherland’s
newly acquired F-35A Lightning II. The
TACTES tasks became the responsibility of
322 Squadron; the oldest operational KLUsquadron. In 2016 the eighteenth edition
of FWIT was planned and Major Nick was
appointed as its new supervisor, responsible
for organizing the six-month-long course.
However, the KLU’s operational commitment
with Air Task Force Middle-East (see Viper
Strikes, November 2016, p84-89) placed
such a heavy burden on the air force that the
2016 course was cancelled. Instead Major
Nick and his team started planning for this
year’s edition, which started in May.FWIT squadron
Major Nick, an experienced ghter pilot,
quali ed mission commander and former
FWIT graduate, presently commands more
than 220 people, including 30 pilots ying
16 F-16s. The number of personnel under
his command will increase to 250 when the
course moves to Norway for its nal phase.
As supervisor, he is responsible for a core
staff consisting of a director of operations,
a deputy director, a technical coordinator,
a mission planner and coordinators for
intelligence and life support. Although the