On Apr 1, 2012, the first F-35A CTOL (Conventional Take Off and Landing) for The Netherlands rolled out of the F-35 production facility.



Known as AN-1, the aircraft that has just left the Fort Worth final assembly line, will be assigned to Eglin AFB, Florida, for training and operational tests of pilots and maintainers. The Dutch Parliament agreed to procure a second test F-35 to be used in the IOT&E (Initial Operational Test and Evaluation) phase.



Under the current plan, The Netherlands should eventually procure 85 F-35s to replace about 65 RNlAF F-16MLUs. In recent years many of the original 213 were sold allready.



JUST IN: Due to the higher price there gonna be less than 85 (http://www.powned.tv/nieuws/politiek/2012/04/hillen_zeker_minder_dan_85_jsf.html)



The Royal Netherlands Air Force purchased a total of 213 F-16A/B aircraft. The Netherlands were one of the four European Participating Air Forces, and one of 5 countries to build the F-16 locally.



A digital mock-up of how the F-35 in Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNlAF) colors could look like based on the current color scheme of the Koninklijke Luchtmacht F-16s.