An exclusive visit to the F-35A Lightning II training facility at Luke AFB, Arizona

What’s impressive when you arrive at Luke AFB, Arizona, is the strict safety measures. This fifth-generation aircraft represents such a technological breakthrough that the programme cannot afford the slightest flaw. This represents a considerable challenge for the 20 participants in this programme of unparalleled scope.

The first Belgian F-35A Lightning II arrived at Luke in December 2024, marking the beginning of the F-16’s transition to this new capability. The 312th Squadron, comprising the Belgian detachment and a support unit composed of USAF personnel, was integrated into the 56th Fighter Wing.

The base, located in the suburbs of Phoenix, is home to the 56th Fighter Wing, the largest fighter wing in the USAF. The wing is part of the Air Education and Training Command. The mission of this wing is to train the best fighter pilots. 75% of the world’s F-35 pilots will pass through this unit. 5,280 people work there, including some 2,800 civilians. Each year, 400 pilots and 300 air traffic controllers are trained here. Pilots from Denmark, Italy, Norway, and the Netherlands are trained on the Lightning II, as well as Singaporean pilots on the F-16.

The Belgian conversion unit, the 312th Squadron “Scorpions”

The 312th Fighter Squadron has a rich and dynamic history reflecting its evolution through various missions and designations. Originally formed during World War II, the squadron has continually adapted to meet the requirements of the United States Air Force and its allies. The squadron is an integral part of the training of Belgian pilots and support crews on the F-35A Lightning II.

During World War II, the squadron was established on July 16, 1942, within the 338th Fighter Group to train pilots and crews after flight school. Active since July 22, 1942, it operated aircraft such as the Bell P-39 Airacobra, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, primarily in the United States, until its disbandment on May 1, 1944.

After a long hiatus, the squadron was re-formed on May 1, 1984, as the 312th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, becoming the USAF’s first F-16C Fighting Falcon training unit. It was activated on October 1, 1984, before being deactivated on January 18, 1991.

The squadron was reactivated on June 1, 2023. It trains Belgian pilots and support crews on the F-35A Lightning II. The training programme is comprehensive, including theoretical courses, simulators, and live flights. The Belgian detachment comprises around fifty personnel, including eight pilots in training. Two have already been converted to the F-35 and are pursuing an instructor course. This also includes technicians who are completing their training on this aircraft after basic training at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Six American instructor pilots are attached to the 312th Squadron, along with support personnel and 48 civilian technicians from Lockheed Martin.

The first eight Belgian F-35s are operating from Luke. The next four aircraft to roll off the assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, are expected to arrive at Florennes AFB in October 2025.

Colonel L. “SO6,” head of the Belgian detachment at Luke: «I am very proud of the teamwork we’ve done here. Together, we’ve successfully overcome the many challenges to begin our training here safely and efficiently. There are a huge number of people working, sometimes behind the scenes, due to the very strict security measures surrounding this programme, to ensure that the programme progresses and we achieve our objectives. The value of having American personnel alongside us in this squadron allows us to gather a wealth of information for our training. They share various tactical solutions with us, and that’s where we see the effects of this international collaboration. We already had this on the F-16 with programmes such as Fighter Weapons Instructor Training (FWIT), where we would listen to a solution from the Danes or the Norwegians, because they operated in a completely different environment than we do in Belgium. I’m meeting up with guys I’ve been on missions with in Afghanistan and elsewhere. We know each other very well, and these exchanges take on a whole new dimension here.

We can’t discuss classified information with each other outside of designated rooms. We have to protect the technology, and that’s why very strict measures are taken. For example, if I go to the gym with a colleague on the weekend, I won’t discuss classified information with them. If I have a question about what we did the previous Wednesday during a flight, I’ll have to wait until I’m in a secure room. We have a huge discipline around this. This is also why we can’t share much about the technical aspects of this programme. If we could tell the truth, many people would fall off their chairs, and we would stop making such a fuss on social media. This discipline will also be applied to Florennes and Kleine-Brogel. We know it works really well, and I know that if I have to operate in an environment with S400 or S500 surface-to-air missiles, I wouldn’t want to fly anything other than an F-35. With this aircraft, we can accept getting very close to the target. Today, without giving away classified information, I must say that it’s the only solution for Belgium.

Every six months, we receive new tactical manuals because threats evolve daily. Collaboration with the Americans and other partner nations is already providing us with new solutions and threat assessments through these manuals. For now, we don’t have enough experience yet, with only 300 sorties on the F-35 and eight pilots in training. We’re not yet the kings of the F-35; we need to gain more experience. We need to learn from nations like the Dutch or the Italians, who have been flying this aircraft for ten years. The day war breaks out, we’ll be at the side of these nations with identical tactics and procedures.

American course syllabi are very demanding, and that’s the American way: if I’m not good, I’ll be debriefed like an 18-year-old pilot, even though I have 20 years of F-16 experience. The training doesn’t last long: six weeks of theory, numerous simulators, and 25 flights for a former F-16 pilot in five and a half months. This means that with each flight, we move up a gear. For example, this morning, I was at the base at 7 a.m. for a briefing, in the simulator at 8 a.m., and out around 2 p.m. »

A total of 48 Belgian pilots will be enrolled in the 312th Squadron through 2028. It is highly likely that training at Luke will be renewed after this date for the next pilots. Of the 48 pilots, 28 come with at least 500 hours of F-16 flight time, while the others will come directly after their basic training at Sheppard, Texas, on T-6s and T-38s and will have no F-16 experience. The first pilots are expected to arrive at Luke next year. For them, training will last seven and a half months and will include theory, 45 simulators, and 37 flight sorties.

The Belgian technicians will begin their training in Florida at Eglin Air Force Base with the assistance of Lockheed Martin. In total, they will spend ten months in the United States to acquire the necessary knowledge for the new weapons systems.

Major V., Director of Maintenance Operations for the Belgian F-35: «We asked our personnel for their first impressions after starting work on the new F-35s, and the reactions were: everything changes! The F-16 was designed in the 1960s. It’s no longer a matter of grounding an F-16 for months every 300 flight hours, completely disassembling it, inspecting it thoroughly, and then reassembling it. That’s no longer the case with the Lightning II. With the F-16, replacing a part required disassembling half the aircraft; that’s no longer the case here. The F-35 is equipped with a multitude of sensors and detectors, and it’s the aircraft itself that will report aircraft failures to us, to the pilots, but also to the technicians. »

As we see with this programme, the entire Belgian Air Force is entering a new universe. The new capabilities offered by the F-35 programme are trained, developed, and tested at Luke Air Force Base, a true F-35 university. With more than 100 F-35As deployed to the base, the Belgian detachment is in the most efficient environment to acquire all the knowledge necessary to integrate into this new world of modern air combat.