Arrival of Dutch F-16s from Jordan

On 2 January 2019, six General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16s of the Royal Dutch Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, Klu) returned  to the Netherlands from Jordan. After a fuelstop at Araxos AB, 2 F-16s flew to Leeuwarden AB and 4 F-16s flew home to Volkel AB. In Volkel AB, a small welcome ceremony was organised. After landing, the aircraft got the traditional water-shower from the Volkel fire-department and when the engines were shutdown, the pilots were welcomed with a bottle of beer (dutch Grolsch beer) supplied by lieutenant-general Luyt, the Commander of the Dutch Air Force (Commandant Luchtstrijdkrachten (CLSK)  and the Director of Operations of the Dutch Air Force, Commodore Steur.

Between October 2014 and December 2018 (with a gap between mid 2016 and the beginning of 2018), more than 3000 missions were flown, where some 2100 times weapons were used in combat. On 31 December 2018, the last operational mission was flown against targets of IS/ISIS/DASH in the Syria/Iraq region. On the 1st of January 2019 the departure was organised and the next morning, the six F-16s went back home to the Netherlands. The larger part of the detached personnel arrived home at Eindhoven AB over the next couple of days. A small team remains for a few months, to dismantle the camp in Jordan and arrange transportation of the materials back to the Netherlands by boat and aircraft.