Combat aircraft

Involvement in the con ict represented

a milestone for the Belgian Air Force.

Not only was it the  rst con ict in

which its combat aircraft had actively

participated under the NATO umbrella,

but it heralded the era of precision air-

to-ground warfare. The F-16s employed

500lb (227kg) GBU-12 and 2,000lb

(907kg) GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided

bombs and AGM-65 Maverick infra-red-

guided air-to-ground missiles alongside

unguided 500lb Mk82 and 2,000lb Mk84

bombs. Although the jets operated from

within NATO territory, their targets were

located outside the alliance’s boundaries,

another  rst for the Belgian F-16s. At the

outset, the deployed aircraft were basic

F-16As, but from April 1999 onwards

they were replaced by F-16AMs that

Right: Operation

‘Desert Falcon

16-9’ was the

name given to

the deployment

to Jordan in

September and

October 2016.

Flying personnel

were rotated after

four weeks of

demanding fl ying

over Iraq and

Syria.

Belgian Defence/

Christian Decloedt

http://www.combataircraft.net // February 2018 59

58-65 Belgium Vipers C.indd 59 14/12/2017 11:19