“The Belgian sky is too small”: here is where our F-35 will have to train abroad

The aircraft, which will be available in 34 copies for defense (knowing that the Federal Minister’s strategic plan for the defense Theo Francken provides for the additional purchase of eleven combat combat), will offer Belgium a significant technological advantage.

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“When we talk about Tech Refresh 3-that’s all that must change on the plane to accommodate the new software. Consequently, This is not the software itself, but the technical part. For example, The problem is that the leap between Tech Refresh 2 and 3 was huge, very ambitious. Moreover, We saw that it contained capacities that were not yet mature, he explains. For example, So we had “the belgian sky too small”: to change the shoulder rifle: create mature. Furthermore, ready software for operations, the rest will be added later. Consequently, In Luke [base d’entraînement]there was a certification problem – this software must take many tests. However, We have received the same software, but not yet certified for operations. Therefore, On the other hand. Moreover, the planes delivered in Belgium will have operational software, with a capacity greater than all other partners. In addition, We will have the most modern version.“

But behind the enthusiasm already points to a series of concrete constraints. Consequently, And the main one is … space. Or rather the lack of airspace above Belgian territory. It must be said that the imminent arrival of these new fighter planes. the acquisition of drones and long -range cannons push the government to find a rapid solution.

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Belgian airspace is not ready for F-35 – "the belgian sky too small":

“The F-35 needs much more space than the F-16 to train “explains the general. It flies further, higher, and exploits more powerful sensors. To simulate a real mission, pilots must fly dispersed, sometimes 60 or 100 kilometers from each other. This requires immense areas. “

However, the Belgian sky is both densely occupied by civil and fragmented traffic. As a result, almost 40 % of Belgian pilots training on F-35 will have to be done abroad. The destinations envisaged: the United States, Canada, but also Italy or the Scandinavian countries, which have large air training areas.

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To this will be added about 30 % “the belgian sky too small”: of the flights made in the spaces of our direct neighbors: the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and perhaps Germany. “”These are partners with whom we have good agreements. and whose air areas are compatible with the requirements of the F-35 “specifies to Decker.

There remains between 20 and 30 % of the training to be expected in Belgium. And again: it would not be possible by temporarily connecting two military zones-Florennes. above the campine-while sparing corridors for civil air traffic, in particular the one who transit towards Brussels. “”It would be enough for so-called ‘level 2’ flights, that is to say basic trainingexplains the general. As a reminder. Lhe level 1 is basic training: the pilot must feel comfortable with the plane, it is very fundamental, very pure. Level 2 is the one we therefore want to organize in Belgium. It is already a more advanced notch, with “the belgian sky too small”: more complex scenarios. And level 3 is a training where we leave from our main base. in Kleine-Brogel and Florennes, we fly for example to Denmark to train, then we return the same day. And finally. level 4 is a longer deployment: we leave for three or four weeks of exercise abroad, then we come back. “

Discussions are underway with the SPF Mobility and the civil aviation authorities. But the margins are narrow. “”You have to be lucid: the F-35 is a technological leap. but to make it fly correctly, we have to adapt our environment. And today, we haven’t done it yet.“

For Pierre-Yves Dermagne (PS), the additional F-35 purchase ad by Theo Franken constitutes an “arresting reaction”