After Belgium received F-35A fighters from the United States, it quickly sparked a wave of criticism domestically. Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said that Belgium's small territory is insufficient for training flights, so Belgium is trying to negotiate with France, the Netherlands, and Italy to obtain overflight permissions, which caused a big uproar. The Belgian public believes that this approach uses Belgium's aircraft to serve allies.
The Belgian public also criticized the loud noise of the F-35A fighter jets, which emit a "heavy and continuous roar," especially disturbing residents living near air bases. In addition, the operating costs of the F-35A fighter jets are quite high, with an hourly cost of about 50,000 euros, far exceeding the F-16 fighter jet (which costs less than 8,000 euros per hour).
Belgium purchased a total of 34 F-35A fighter jets, which will replace the previously committed 54 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. However, due to the uncertain supply prospects of the F-35 fighter jets, Belgium has postponed the delivery of the F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The latest plan is that Belgium will only deliver the F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after receiving all the F-35A jets.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1847873069031488/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.