Belgium was one of the four European
members of the NATO F-16 partnership. The primary Belgian contractor in the F-16 program
was the Societe Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aeronautiques (SABCA), which was
responsible for the final assembly of F-16s intended for both Belgian and Danish service.
The F100 engines for the F-16s of all four nations in the European consortium were
manufactured by the Belgian concern Fabrique National.
The first European F-16 assembly line
opened at SABCA in February 1978. The first flight of a Belgian-built F-16 (an F-16B) took
place on December 11, 1978, flown by SABCA test pilot Serge Margin with General Dynamics
test pilot Neil Anderson riding in the back seat.
The original Belgian order had been for
116 F-16 aircraft (96 single- seaters, 20 two-seaters). Belgium's dual-language air force,
the Force Aerienne Belge/Belgische Luchtmacht, was the first European operator to take
delivery of locally-built F-16s, the first example (an F-16B two-seater) being accepted by
the FAB/BLu on January 29, 1979. The first F-16A/Bs were issued to 349 Squadron based at
Beauvechain. On January 16, 1981, 349 Squadron was official assigned to NATO, and was
declared fully operational on May 6. This was the first F-16 fighter squadron to be
assigned to NATO.
The first 25 F-16As and 10 F-16Bs were
built to Block 1/5 standards, although they were later brought up to Block 10 standards.
The following 20 As and two Bs were built from the start to Block 10 standards. The
remainder were built to the big-tailed Block 15 standard. The original order was completed
in late 1985.
Beginning in September 1981, 35
early-production Belgian F-16s were rotated back through the SABCA factory for cockpit
modifications and some updating of the avionics, including the APG-66 radar.
Rather than use an externally-carried
pod, in 1979 Belgium decided to adopt the Loral Rapport III (Rapid Alert Programmed Power
Management and Radar) internal electronic countermeasures suite. The Rapport system had
originally been developed for the FAB/BLu following a study of an electronics
countermeasures package for the Mirage VB in the light of Israeli experience during the
1973 Yom Kippur War. Part of the system is carried in an extended fairing at the base of
the tail of the tailfin. It is designed to be compatible with the Rapport II equipment
still carried by Belgian Mirage 5R and 5BA fighters. Being internally mounted, the Rapport
III system has the advantage of not taking up a hardpoint space and does not add to
aircraft drag. However, the disadvantage is that it takes up internal avionics growth
space. However, the Rapport III program was cancelled in favor of less-expensive equipment
which has yet to be installed.
Delivery of the first 116 aircraft to the
FAB/BLu was completed in May of 1985. They replaced F-104G Starfighters in four squadrons.
A follow-on batch of 44 Block 15 OCU aircraft was ordered in February of 1983 and
delivered between 1987 and 1991. These replaced some Dassault Mirage VBR aircraft.
The Belgian aircraft differ slightly from
the F-16s of other NATO nations, having been retrofitted with ESD Carapace ECM. This
resulted in the deletion of the small blade antennae underneath the nose of the Block 15s
and the addition of bulged fairings on the intake sides. Brake parachutes were fitted to
the final batch of Belgian F-16s, and have been retrofitted to the remaining members of
the fleet.
The following Belgian air force units
operate the F-16:
- 1st Wing, Beauvechain:
- 349 Smaldeel/Escadrille
- 350 Smaldel/Escadrille plus OCS.
- 2nd Wing, Florennes:
- 1 Smaldel/Escadrille
- 2 Smaldel/Escadrille
- 10th Wing, Kleine-Brogel:
- 23 Smaldel/Escadrille
- 31 Smaldel/Escadrille
Following the withdrawal of Belgium's
Mirage 5BR reconnaissance aircraft from service, a couple of F-16As of No 2 Wing at
Florennes have been modified to carry the Dutch-built Oude Delft Orpheus underfuselage
camera pod.
The six Belgian air force squadrons
flying the Fighting Falcon are still on front line duties, although the FAB/BLu is often
crippled by budgetary problems, with flying hours being severely restricted due to a lack
of funds and planes often grounded for extended periods of time. Despite financial
problems, the FAB/BLu does its pilot training entirely in Belgium, rather than sending its
pilots to the USA as do many of the other smaller NATO members.
Along with the Fighting Falcons serving
with other European members of the F-16 pool, Belgian F-16s were scheduled to go through a
Mid-Life Update (MLU) during the late 1990s. An agreement on the MLU was finalized on
January 26, 1993 between the European and US members of the Multinational Fighter Program.
Under this program, Belgian Block 15 F-16A/Bs were to be brought up to approximately
F-16C/D Block 50/52 standards. Included in this upgrade is an AN/APG-66(V2A) radar, GPS
naviagation aids, a wide-angle HUD, night vision goggle capability, a modular mission
computer, and a digital terrain system. Due to the drastic downsizing of the FAB with the
end of the Cold War, the number of F-16A/B aircraft scheduled to go through the MLU had to
be cut back from 110 to 72. Of these, only 48 are firmly committed, with the remaining 24
being options. In 1997, Belgium agreed to submit these 24 aircraft to MLU as well, in
order to meet a six-squadron NATO commitment. The 18 remaining aircraft not subjected to
MLU will be used for training, and as reserves for overhaul and attrition.
The first squadron to receive the MLU
aircraft was 349 Squadron, followed in February of 2000 by 23 Squadron. Belgium also
purchased some Lockheed Martin "Sharpshooter" laser targeting pods for some of
these F-16s.
Budgetary conditions have forced the
FAB/BLu to undergo a restructuring in which the number of flying combat units would be
reduced from three to two wings, with a total of six squadrons with 12 aircraft each. As a
result, the FAB/BLu has been forced to place some of its F-16s in permanent storage.
Approximately 45 early Block 10 F-16As and a few F-16Bs have been ferried to the former
USAFE lugistics airfield at Weelde, where they have been placed in long-term storage. They
will be offered to potential buyers on the world arms market. However, there is now a glut
of early-model F-16s on the market, and it is more likely that Belgium will scavenge these
aircraft for spare parts to keep the remaining force of F-16s flying.
Belgian F-16As are serialed FA-01/136,
whereas F-16Bs are serialed FB-01/24. FA-10/55 and FB-01/12 have been upgraded to F-16A/B
Block 10 standard, whereas FA-56/136 and FB-13/24 were built as F-16A/B Block 15
(large-tail) aircraft. For administrative purposes, they are also assigned USAF serial
numbers.
Serials of FAB/BLu F-16s:
78-0116/0161 General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-01/FA-46)
78-0162/0173 General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FB-01/FB-12)
80-3538/3540 General Dynamics F-16A Block 10C Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-47/49).
80-3541/3546 General Dynamics F-16A Block 10D Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-50/55).
80-3547 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15B Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-56)
80-3548/3551 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15D Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-57/60)
80-3552/3556 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15F Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-61/65)
80-3557/3562 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15H Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-66/71)
80-3563/3570 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15K Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-72/79)
80-3571/3578 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15M Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-80/87)
80-3579/3583 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15P Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-88/92)
80-3584/3587 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15R Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-93/96)
80-3588 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15B Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FB-13)
80-3589/3592 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15D Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FB-14/17)
80-3593/3595 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15F Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FB-18/20)
87-0001 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15AA OCU Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FB-21)
87-0046/0047 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15Y OCU Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-102/103)
87-0048/0054 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AA OCU Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-104/110)
87-0055/0056 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15AC OCU Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-111/112)
88-0038/0047 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15 Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium. (FA-113/122)
88-0048/0049 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15 Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FB-22/23).
89-0001/0011 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15 Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-123/133)
89-0012 General Dynamics F-16B Block 15 Fighting Falcon
built by SABCA for Belgium (FB-24)
90-0025/0027 General Dynamics F-16A Block 15 Fighting Falcon
Built by SABCA for Belgium (FA-134/136)
Sources:
- Combat Aircraft F-16, Doug Richardson,
Crescent, 1992.
- General Dynamics Aircraft and their
Predecessors, John Wegg, Naval Institute Press, 1990.
- The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and
Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.
- United States Military Aircraft Since
1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
- F-16 Fighting Falcon--A Major Review of
the West's Universal Warplane, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Spring 1991.
- The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft,
Gallery, 1989.
- Modern Military Aircraft--F-16 Viper, Lou
Drendel, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1992.
- Lockheed F-16 Variants, Part 1, World
Airpower Journal, Volume 21, Summer 1995.
- Military Aviation Review, World Airpower
Journal, Volume 34, 1998.
- Air Forces Monthly, May 2000.
