The Netherlands plans to reopen the decommissioned De Peel Air Facility as a third air base to house the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft.
The government cited “the deteriorating security situation in the world” as an explanation for its latest decision.
The decommissioned De Peel Air Base in the country’s southeast will likely be reactivated to serve as an F-35A station alongside Leeuwarden and Volkel air bases, according to the Dutch Ministry of Defense (MoD).
The ministry said that the armed services needed to practice more owing to the deteriorating security situation in the world.
“As a result, the number of military flights is increasing, but due to the closure of the Soesterberg, Twenthe, and Valkenburg air bases some 16 years ago, the Ministry of Defense has little room to expand the number of flights,” the ministry added.
The MOD added that all air bases “are ‘full,’ or almost full. Reopening of [the] De Peel Air Base helps to solve the lack of space at airbases.” The RNLAF conducted “noise experience flights” of the F-35A in the area prior to the planned reopening of the base to army air site visitors.
According to the air force, the runway hasn’t yet been made suitable for F-35A takeoffs and landings, and much of the infrastructure needs to be updated to make room for the fifth-generation “stealth” fighter.
De Peel Air Base in Venray, which had two parallel runways when it was built in 1954 as a diversion airport, was never utilized as an active air base. It was, however, expanded in 1973 for possible NATO use.
In 1993, the base was decommissioned as an operational airstrip. It later became the home of Groep Geleide Wapens (GGW; Guided Weapons Groups) of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF).
The Dutch MOD has stated that it plans to renovate De Peel’s runway and reopen De Peel as a functioning airfield no later than 2024. However, it has also noted that it would not invest in the facility until it has secured all necessary permits.
According to the plan, 12 F-35As will be able to do 3,600 flight movements over a period of 24 weeks per year, or 1,800 takeoffs and 1,800 landings, from De Peel each year.
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