The Netherlands was one of the four initial European NATO customers for the F-16 and the first airframe was delivered in June 1979, a total of 213 airframes were delivered and the last operational squadron is 312Sqn based at Volkel Air Base.
In 2013 the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II was officially selected as the replacement for the RNAF F-16s and one year later the Dutch Parliament approved the purchase of the first batch of eight F-35 aircraft, and a total of 52 airframes are expected to be delivered by 2023.
Yesterday a number of sorties were carried out by the remaining 312 Squadron F-16s and a couple of F-35s from Volkel Air Base.
