Since September 5, 2024, the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) air defense mission over the Benelux is back in the hands of the Netherlands. This means that for the next five months, Dutch F-35s from the Royal Netherlands Air Force may be called upon to monitor the airspace of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
The Netherlands and Belgium alternately provide combat capabilities for the QRA mission over the Benelux region. This happens from air bases in the Netherlands (Leeuwarden and Volkel) and Belgium (Kleine-Brogel and Florennes).
Two fighter jets are permanently ready for this task. With a short notice time, they can take off within minutes to intercept any unidentified aircraft. For this purpose, two Dutch F-35s are now on standby at Leeuwarden Air Base and from November 7, at Volkel Air Base.
The Air Operations Control Station in Nieuw Milligen monitors airspace 24/7 and controls the F-35s’ operations. If an aircraft is detected entering the airspace without permission, air combat control will use the QRA to intercept and identify the aircraft.
In Belgium, the QRA is managed under the responsibility of the Control and Reporting Center (CRC) in Beauvechain. Belgian fighter jets are based at Kleine-Brogel and Florennes. For now, F-16s still protect Belgian airspace, but Belgium has also purchased the Lockheed Martin stealth aircraft, which will replace the Fighting Falcons in the coming years.
Dutch F-16s protected Benelux airspace for the last time in March 2024. It is important to note that many of the Dutch F-16s will live a second life with the new European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) and in Ukraine, where the Netherlands has already made at least 24 F-16s available.
Although the F-35 is not an interceptor aircraft, many NATO nations use it for QRA (Quick Reaction Alert). Italy’s Air Force and the Royal Norwegian Air Force are among the first to use it for national and NATO airspace surveillance missions. Regarding the Dutch F-35 program, on November 5, the Ministry of Defense announced an order for six additional F-35A Lightning IIs to be added to the three existing squadrons, bringing the total number of F-35As to 58.