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Maintenance of F-16 moves to the Netherlands

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Written by Dennis

General Dynamics (Lockheed) F-16AM Block 15 c/n 6D-109 (US fiscal year number 83-1202) of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) 323 squadron and tailnumber J-202 (derived from the US fiscal year number) at Leeuwarden Air Base in The Netherlands (EHLE), exhibited during the Open Days of the Dutch Air Force on 17 September 2011. The aircraft was delivered to the Dutch Air Force on 20 May 1985 as an F-16A and later converted to the the F-16AM standard. It looks fully armed. Note the gun belt loaded onto the aircraft from the special drum cart.November 7th 2011. The Elbit Systems of America company has opened up a workshop for maintenance of F-16 parts in The Netherlands.

The facility will temporarily be located at the Logistics Centre Woensdrecht (LCW) at Rhenen and will move at the end of 2012 to Air Base Woensdrecht.

In the near future, Elbit expects to move multiple innovative maintenance activities from the USA to the facilities at LCW. The new location has the advantage for the Royal Netherlands Airforce that it presents a lowering of the transport costs and the maintenance cycle, resulting in a better availability for the F-16's.

Regional support center

With Elbit a second company moves to the LCW (Terma, a European defence company with HQ in Denmark was the first in May 2010). The Dutch ministry of defence aims to create a regional support center for maintenance, repair and modification, leading to a 'Maintenance Valley' for aviation-related companies in the region.

Elbit has the intention to make use of the special test equipment from the LCW, giving them the ability to repair avionics components for almost any type of F-16 in and outside Europe.