The Flemish prime minister Jan Jambon (nationalist) has landed at Luke Airforce Base in the US state of Arizona. It is there where the first Belgian pilots will soon be trained to fly the Belgian Airforce’s new F-35 fighter jets. However, the Federal Government has refused to grant Mr Jambon permission to meet the instructors at the base.
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Flemish PM barred from meeting Belgians at F-35 pilot training centre in Arizona
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The airbase in Arizona is the main training site in the US for F-16 and F-35 fighter jet pilots. There are four training areas around the facility, each of which is larger than Belgium. The question of space to train in the skies above what is largely a sparsely populated state is the reason why our pilots are being trained in Arizona rather than here in Belgium or a country closer to home.
As a US partner country the Netherlands had quicker access to the new F-35s. Dutch pilots are already in full training mode. The first Belgians only arrived at the base last summer. The Belgian contingent is made up of two experienced F-16 pilots and a dozen technicians. At the end of this week, the first F-35 bound for the Belgian Airforce will come off the production line at Lockheed Martin. Once it has passed the necessary tests, the pilots can start to familarise themselves with the aircraft.
Jan Jambon flew to the airbase with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, in the Dutch government’s plane. They were received by Joost Luijsterburg, who heads the Dutch training programme.
Federal government bans contact with military personnel
Speaking about the fact that he won’t be allowed to meet the Belgians that are at the airbase, Mr Jambon said "Apparently the federal government has issued a ban on the Belgian military having contact with me. "I find this strange, as I don’t prohibit members of the federal government from having contact with people in the healthcare or education sectors. I see that I am not even allowed to say goodbye. I find that a bit small-minded, but this will not undermine our mission."
The mission is mainly focused on technology. Several Flemish and Belgian companies worked with Lockheed Martin on the F-35. For example, Solvay was one of the developers of the coating that makes the aircraft almost invisible on radar.
Silicon Valley and Silicon Desert
During the coming days, Mr Jambon and Mr Rutte will visit several big tech companies in Silicon Valley and Silicon Desert. Along a delegation made up of representatives of 16 Flemish companies, they will visit companies including Microsoft, Google and Nvidia.