Belgium Reportedly Picks US F-35 Over Eurofighter Typhoon

10:18 GMT, 22 October 2018

In February, the US defense contractor Lockheed Martin and a European consortium of aerospace manufacturers became the only two participants in a competition to provide state-of-the-art warplanes to Belgium, pitting the F-35 against the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Sputnik

Brussels has picked the advanced US F-35 Lightning II fighter jet to replace Belgium's aging fleet of F-16 jets, the Belgian newspaper DeMorgen cited several government sources as saying on Monday.

"The decision has already been made in favor of the F-35," the sources pointed out.

Last month, US Ambassador to Belgium Ronald Gidwitz urged the Belgian government to make a decision on the tender for acquiring 34 new fighter jets by mid-October. The latest deadline for the decision was reportedly scheduled for October 29.

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His remarks came after the US aerospace company Lockheed Martin and the European consortium which manufactures the Eurofighter Typhoon became the only participants in the competition to re-equip the Belgian Air Force with new-generation fighter bombers. The consortium is a joint project between the UK's BAE Systems, France's Airbus, and the Italian aerospace firm Leonardo.

The new aircraft are due to replace the fleet of F-16 fighters that have been in service with the Belgian Air Force since the early 1980s.

The Belgian government reportedly plans to allocate a total of 15 billion euros (17.2 billion dollars) for the purchase and maintenance of the 34 new warplanes.