We may be a small country but we've a big role to play with the F-35, insists Belgium
Elements in the French media have been poking fun at Belgium for buying the US-made F-35A Lightning II – saying the country is so small it doesn't have enough airspace in which to train its pilots or operate the jet.
But while the French claims are partially true, it looks like it's a case of sour grapes for France, which had apparently been hoping to sell its neighbour the Dassault Rafale.
Belgian defence minister Theo Francken said the media outlets that had been mocking the purchase of the jet did not know what they were talking about.
"Of course, as a small country, we have a small airspace. This means that we carry out certain exercises abroad. We have been doing this for years with the F-16, and it will be the same for the F-35," he said.
"But this principle also applies to the ground forces. We can only carry out more complex exercises abroad, such as on the German training grounds of Bergen-Hohne. And who thinks that our frigates only sail in our own territorial waters?"
Crucially, much of the training of the Belgian pilots who will be operating the F-35A will be done at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
Another criticism of the F-35 deal was the fact that having limited airspace would either restrict military operations or adversely affect civilian air traffic.
But Mr Francken said some training would nevertheless go ahead in Belgium, adding: "And that is what we will do, without major impact on civil aviation."
The Belgian air force currently operates the F-16, and prior to that it flew the F-104G Starfighter – both types managing well enough despite Belgium's small size of just 30,689 square kilometres, about 11,849 square miles.
One key use for Belgium's warplanes is to support Nato's air policing mission, something the country has been doing in the Baltic region since 2004.
"In 2004, merely hours after the Washington Treaty came into effect and the Baltic States became full-fledged members of Nato, Belgian air force F-16s were the first Nato aircraft to deploy at Šiauliai Air Base to safeguard the Baltic skies," said Major General Thierry Dupont, the commander of the Belgian air component.
"Throughout the years, the Belgian air force has proven to be a reliable partner in close cooperation with other allied air forces for guarding and securing the Baltic airspace 24/7."
The F-35A is the conventional land-based variant of the Lightning and the only one of the three main types that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
At the moment the UK just operates the F-35B, which has a short take-off/vertical landing capability, but the RAF is acquiring F-35As to renew the nuclear role that was lost when the Tornado was removed from service.
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