Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16
In 1979, the first F-16 entered Royal Netherlands Air Force service as a direct replacement for the F-104G Starfighter and the type later succeeded the NF-5 Freedom Fighter. Mike Schoenmaker and Niels Hoogenboom review the many achievements of the Dutch ‘Viper’ over a remarkable 40-year career.
In 1959 the Dutch defence ministry announced selection of the F-104G as the country’s future fighter. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) received its first examples in 1962, and it was as sleek and fast as it was challenging to fly. The Dutch flew the Starfighter for 22 years, but as early as 1967 a hunt was under way for a successor. RNLAF chief of staff Lt Gen Bertie Wolff planned to join forces with neighbouring European air arms, seeking a collaborative solution to support the introduction of a new fighter.
The ensuing years saw the UK, Germany and Italy embracing the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA), but the Netherlands withdrew from this project in July 1969. While the MRCA emerged as a twin-engine, two-seat strike aircraft, the Dutch sought an altogether different solution – a lightweight, single-seat, single-engine fighter that was easy and cost-effective to operate.
