Operational aspects
The first JSFs are due to be delivered to the Netherlands in 2019. The Dutch armed forces need the aircraft in order to carry out the duties assigned to them by the Minister of Defence. During the years up to 2019, and to a certain extent even after 2019, the F-16s have been and will be responsible for performing these duties. The F-16s will continue to fly until the JSFs are fully operational.
Delivery of the JSF
Deliveries of the JSF are due to start in 2019. The Ministry of Defence has drawn up a timetable for the commissioning of the JSFs and the decommissioning of the F-16s. This is known as the transition timetable.
Deployment objectives for fighter aircraft
The armed forces are required to perform certain duties. In order for them to be able to discharge these duties, the Minister of Defence has formulated a number of ‘deployment objectives’. These include specific deployment objectives for fighter aircraft.
During the course of our audits, we examined the method of calculating the deployability of fighter aircraft, about which we made a number of critical comments, such as the fact that the Ministry did not take account of peacetime losses.
What is going to happen to the F-16s?
What will happen to the F-16s once the JSFs have been taken into service? We discuss the various options as part of a historical survey of the fate of previously decommissioned F-16s.