From this Friday, two new F-35 fighter jets will be ready at Volkel air base to monitor Dutch airspace, among other things. The F-16 is thanked for the work done and is replaced by the ultra-modern F-35s (Joint Strike Fighters). Major Stephan is one of the pilots. In the radio program Afslag Zuid he explains what his role is in the event of a threat in the airspace of the Benelux. “How fast will we be in the airspace? Blink twice and we’re off,” says Stephan.
A Quick Response Alert or a threatening situation in the airspace. Until Thursday, the F16s from Leeuwarden air base still responded to such reports. Volkel Air Base will take over from this Friday. “We are ready day and night to respond to a threat. There are two F-35s, two pilots and two technicians, fully armed, ready at a secluded part of the airport. We are on standby 24 hours a day. In fact, we are mainly waiting for hopefully nothing,” Stephan explains his task.
“If it concerns military aircraft from other countries, we will be there right away.”
Suspicious situations in the airspace of the Benelux are monitored by air traffic controllers and air combat controllers in Nieuw-Millingen. If there is a suspicious situation that requires action, a QRA is decided. “How quickly will we be in the airspace? We can’t reveal that. We run to our planes next to our accommodation. Blink your eyes twice and we are taking off.”
How often they have to respond is kept to a minimum, says Stephan. “That wouldn’t be good either and then there is something wrong with the supervision of the airspace. We operate at most a few times a year. It varies from commercial aircraft that make contact with air traffic control too late or do not make contact with military aircraft. from other countries. Then we will be there like the chickens.”
“We make contact with pilots of the other aircraft with radio or hand signals.”
His daily work largely consists of waiting. “We are in a building close to the parking lots of our aircraft. The space is homely with a kitchen, TV, computers and four bedrooms. We are on standby 24 hours. We sleep on base. We may be in the middle of must go forth into the night.”
For Stephan, it has been about ten years since he had to go out for QRA. “At that time there was a report of a suspected hijacking. We intercepted the plane and escorted it to Schiphol.”
How does such an interception in the airspace of an unwanted aircraft work? “The instructions come from the air combat controllers in Nieuw-Millingen. It depends on the situation on board the other aircraft. If it is a passenger aircraft, we can receive instructions to follow the aircraft and keep an eye on it. We may also have to make ourselves known to the staff on the other plane. We then make contact with radio or hand signals. We then follow and guide them to a civil airport.”
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