The transition from the F-16 to the JSF
The Dutch government decided in 2013 to order 37 JSF aircraft. These aircraft are due to be delivered in batches, with the first batch scheduled for delivery in 2019. Once the deliveries come on stream, the Dutch air force will be switching (or ‘transitioning’) from the F-16 to the JSF. The Ministry of Defence has drawn up a ‘transition timetable’ for the period in which the JSFs are gradually taken into service and the F-16s are decommissioned.
Deliveries of the JSF
The 37 JSFs will not be delivered all at once, but in batches. The Dutch air force has had two test aircraft since 2013. These are stationed in the US and are taking part in the operational test phase of the JSF.
The remaining 35 aircraft will be delivered in five batches:
- 2019: 8 aircraft
- 2020: 8 aircraft
- 2021: 8 aircraft
- 2022: 8 aircraft
- 2023: 3 aircraft
Aircraft stationed in the US
Six of the first batch of eight aircraft will be stationed in the US for the time being. They are needed there to ensure that pilots receive their initial training, in which they learn to fly the JSF, as quickly as possible. During the period up to 2023, the Netherlands will need eight aircraft for training purposes (this figure includes the two test aircraft already stationed in the US). After 2023, just five aircraft will be required for training purposes. In other words, once the last batch of three aircraft have been delivered in 2023, the Dutch air force will have 32 JSFs at its disposal, which will be stationed at the air force bases in Leeuwarden and Volkel.
Following the delivery of the third batch of aircraft in 2021, the JSFs will reach their initial operational capability (IOC) in the Netherlands. This means that the first units will be available for deployment. Full operational capability (FOC) will be reached in 2024, as from when the JSFs will be the only aircraft used for meeting the operational objectives set for the Dutch air force’s fighter aircraft.
Block buy
Up to 2016, the only way of ordering the JSF was in the form of a small, annual series known as LRIP (low-rate initial production) series. Certain components need to be ordered four years in advance, and the aircraft itself has to be ordered two years in advance. The Dutch Ministry of Defence has decided to order to JSF in four batches of eight aircraft and one last batch of three aircraft. The first batch of eight aircraft was ordered in 2015.
In 2016, however, the Dutch government decided to join in with what is known as a ‘block buy’. A block buy means that a number of countries place a single order for a large number of aircraft, rather than a series of annual orders. This places the buyers in a good position to negotiate a discount on the price. Each partner country has to decide for itself whether or not it wishes to join in with the block buy. The Netherlands has signed up for 24 aircraft as part of the block buy. These are aircraft that were due to be delivered in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Transition timetable
In 2014, the Minister of Defence drew up a provisional timetable for the transition from the F-16 to the JSF. This is based on an assumption that the Dutch air force will have 61 F-16s in service until 2019, which is the year in which the first JSFs are due to be delivered. As from 2020, the number of F-16s will decline every year, as the number of JSFs in service in the Netherlands rises.
| Year | Number of F-16s | Number of JSFs |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 61 | 0 + 2 in US |
| 2019 | 61 | 2 + 8 in US |
| 2020 | 61 | 10 + 8 in US |
| 2021 | 55 | 18 + 8 in US (IOC) |
| 2022 | 45 | 26 + 8 in US |
| 2023 | 35 | 32 + 5 in US |
| 2024 | 25 | 32 + 5 in US (FOC) |
| 2025 | 0 | 32 + 5 in US |
Situation as at December 2014
The graph clearly shows that the number of F-16s has fallen virtually every year since 2005, with the decline coming to a temporary halt when the fleet reached a size of 61 in 2013. Delivery of the JSFs is due to start in 2019, after which the remaining F-16s will gradually be taken out of service over a period of several years.