Belgian F-16 Replacement Program In Turmoil
LONDON—Belgium’s future fighter program has been thrown into turmoil after it emerged that cheaper options to extend the life of the country’s F-16 Fighting Falcons had been deliberately hidden from ministers.
The scandal, which has already resulted in the suspension of several military officers and civil servants, came to light after the leaking of a Lockheed Martin assessment dated April 2016 to several Belgian news outlets on March 20. The documents suggested the country’s F-16s could be upgraded and given another six years of operational life, making a new fighter purchase less urgent than government officials had previously contended.
Defense Minister Steven Vandeput told the country’s Parliament that he had not been made aware of the report about the potential life extension option. “If this report actually exists, if its content is accurate, and if the defense [ministry] has decided not to share it, there is a problem,” Vandeput told a Belgian radio station.
The news comes just weeks after the British and U.S. governments submitted their best price tenders for the Belgian fighter program for the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, respectively.
It is unclear whether the €3.6 billion ($4.35 billion) program will be frozen or terminated in light of the life extension option. But Vandeput is eager for the program to continue unhindered. “The purchase program has reached a crucial phase and we do not want to disrupt this sensitive moment,” Vandeput said.......