MOSCOW – Dutch government announced it would be buying nine of the jets ina €1 billion ($1.09 billion) deal with manufacturer Lockheed Martin, DefenseNewslinkreported.That’s $121.1 million per aircraft, a hefty step toward the NATO allyspending 2% of its GDP on defense, as demanded of alliance members by USPresident Donald Trump.
Last December, The Hague announced it would procure another 15-jet squadronfor the Royal Netherlands Air Force in the coming year on top of the 37F-35As already purchased.
“Extra investment in defense is a necessity because our surrounding safetyzone has become a more unstable place. There are more threats to contendwith, and threats have become more complex,” the Dutch Defense Ministrysaid at the time, Sputnik reportedlink.
However, those jets aren’t flying around in Europe: they’re at Edwards AirForce Base in California, where F-35 training takes place. Even then, onlya handful have even been delivered, according to Lockheed Martin’s websitelink for news about the jet.
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The Hague wants the F-35 to replace its aging fleet of 60 General Dynamics F-16Falconslink,another US-made jet widely exported to its allies.
