About ninety soldiers are accompanying the four fighter planes. Two F-35s are used for air surveillance. “Both other F-35s are spare. In this way, deployment is guaranteed,” according to the Ministry of Defense. The planes are commanded by NATO.
First time
It is the first time that the Dutch F-35s are stationed abroad for deployment. In recent weeks, F-35s have also participated in the surveillance of the airspace of Poland, but then the planes kept returning to their base in the Netherlands.
The F-35s are to intercept unknown aircraft over NATO territory in Bulgaria, among other things. They can also be deployed over the Black Sea. NATO is strengthening its presence in Eastern Europe as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In that context, the Netherlands is also sending a Patriot unit with 150 personnel to Slovakia this month. They stay there for a maximum of six months. About 300 Dutch military personnel are also active in Lithuania for NATO.