Milestone

The first Dutch F-35s touch Netherlands soil

May 23, 2016

The two Dutch F-35A test aircraft, AN-1 and AN-2, landed at Leeuwarden air base for a temporary stay of noise measurement and public display. This was not yet a permanent detachment: the aircraft later returned to the United States, where training and testing continued. The visit served above all to gauge the new fighter's acoustic footprint in a country where the noise debate weighed on the political decision.

Sources: The Aviationist — All you need to know about the arrival of the first Dutch F-35s in the Netherlands