Airmen and Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) personnel from Morris Air National Guard Base, Arizona, traveled to Naval Air Station Key West, Apr. 27, 2022, for a two week-training occasion with the ultimate Dutch B-Course scholar pilots.
This short-term responsibility happy the over-water training and dissimilar plane training required by the coed pilot course syllabus of the RNLAF.
“Since we are only flying over land in Tucson, our altitude awareness is really good,” mentioned Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, RNLAF detachment commander, within the article Farewell tour: Dutch end overwater F-16 training over Florida coast, by Tech. Sgt. George Keck, 162nd Wing. “Every class goes to a location to fly over water and give them a different perspective.”
While flying over open waters, there aren’t any floor references equivalent to automobiles, buildings, and terrain to find out altitude. This training is essential in getting ready the scholars for his or her return dwelling to the Netherlands the place most flying happens over the Atlantic Ocean.
“Two of our students found themselves a lot lower in altitude than they thought they were,” mentioned Luijsterburg.
The different purpose for the coed pilots is to see the arduous work of deploying varied personnel property as a cohesive unit, mentioned Luijsterburg. As an instance, Luijsterburg mentioned that the coed pilots had been stunned to study that their upkeep crew introduced a spare plane engine, as a contingency.
The 162nd Logistics Readiness Squadron coordinated the TDY with the 161st Air Refueling Wing and with the 107th Airlift Wing to offer a KC-135 Stratotanker and a C-17 Globemaster III, respectively, for a seamless motion of personnel and tools spherical journey to NAS Key West.
The 148th Fighter Squadron introduced alongside six of their very own F-16 Fighting Falcons from Morris ANGB to fly in opposition to F-18 Super Hornets.
“In Tucson, the students have not had an opportunity to fight against dissimilar aircraft,” mentioned Lt. Col. Andrew Wittke, the 148th Fighter Squadron commander. “When we are fighting a different platform with different capabilities, it changes things up quite a bit. It is some of the best training you can do as a young lieutenant.”
This journey can be important as a result of that is the final Dutch F-16 B-course to graduate earlier than closing out their contract and transferring again to their dwelling nation.
“This is a big deal and a bittersweet thing,” mentioned Wittke.
After a 32-year partnership, that is the final TDY that the RNLAF will take part in as a part of the 148th Fighter Squadron earlier than returning dwelling to the Netherlands.
“I, myself, was a student in the 148th Fighter Squadron in 1991,” mentioned Luijsterburg. “That was 31 years ago and now I am going to close this unit in a couple of months. It is the end of an era, I think you could say.”
The Dutch had been the primary in a protracted line of overseas companions to coach at Morris ANG Base. On common they flew 2,000 hours a yr and graduated 4 scholar pilots each 9 months.
“I will be sad to see them leave,” mentioned Wittke. “They have been one of our best partners. They are always in combat with us and that loyalty I find incredibly inspiring.”
According to Janes, the RNLAF is to acquire at least 46 F-35As (of which 37 are on order) to exchange its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons.
The service declared preliminary working functionality (IOC) for the F-35A in late December 2021. For the RNLAF, IOC means 4 plane can be found for expeditionary taskings for a interval of three to 4 months. The service is predicted to declare full working functionality for the kind in 2024.
The RNLAF introduced on Jan. 12 that, with the final of 24 F-35As now delivered to 322 Squadron at Leeuwarden Air Base, the primary plane for 313 Squadron have now begun arriving at Volkel Air Base additionally.
In October 2019 the Dutch Ministry of Defence introduced it could arise a 3rd working squadron for the F-35A, though it didn’t give its deliberate location.
U.S. Air National Guard photograph by Tech. Sgt. George Keck
