Le Soir : Number one on the army’s list of concerns, Belgium has no choice but to replace its F-16 fighters

Posted on 26 October 2013 by elanlanguages

General Caelenberge deems that it's no longer possible to update the current fighters.
The budgetary and industrial impact of this upgrade alone will extend beyond the defense sector.

Even if Belgium replaced only half of its present F-16 fleet of 64 fighters at €75 million each, the expense would reach the €2.4 billion mark, almost the entire army budget. What if over the period of one year, all the police officers, firefighter and magistrate salaries, all the Interior and Justice departments expenses were absorbed by a single military purchase such as around thirty F-35 Lightning II fighters?

Read more at http://blog.lesoir.be/lesoirinenglish/2013/10/26/number-one-on-the-armys-list-of-concerns-belgium-has-no-choice-but-to-replace-its-f-16-fighters/

Belgian fighter-jets landed in Šiauliai to take over of the Baltic Air Policing mission

On 2 September 2013, four F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter-jets of the Belgian Air Force landed at the Šiauliai Air Base to take charge of NATO’s Air Policing mission over the Baltic States, the Ministry of National Defence has informed. Source: The Lithunia Tribune

Regards,

Daniel

De Havilland DH-98 Mosquito TT6 MC3 Belgian Air Force at Manchester before delivery

Found by Bob block, thx Bob

Photo ID: 2113439 Views: 1303 Aircraft Location & Date Belgium - Air Force De Havilland DH-98 Mosquito TT6 Manchester - International (Ringway) (MAN / EGCC) UK - England, February 10, 1954 Remark Photographer MC1 Mosquito target tug converted from RAF FB.6 TE614 by Fairey Aviation at Ringway. Their 1937-built hangar is shown in this snowy scene. R.A.Scholefield Contact Link to me!
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www.silverwings.usaf.be

During the 1950's some Belgian Air Force pupils were trained in the USA. Find their website at www.silverwings.usaf.be
Thx Louis Nève

Wings Parade at Beauvechain Airbase

On Wednesday October 12th, 2011 the traditional Wings Parade was organised at the  Competentiecentrum van de Luchtcomponent (CC Air)/Centre de Compétence de la Composante Air (CC Air) at Beauvechain airbase.

For the first time, specialists graduating from the different CC Air courses (Weather forecasters, flight engineers, loadmasters, UAV-operators, air controllers and radar specialists) also received their certificates during this ceremony.

Nine new pilots, four graduates from the ”Jet” instruction, four “helicopter” pilots and a single “transport” pilot had their “Wings” pinned up by Major General Claude Van de Voorde, Commander of the Belgian Air Component assisted by Prince Michel de Ligne representing the family of Commander Antoine Prince de Ligne who gave his name to this new promotion.    

DBx