PROCUREMENT: US approves potential F-35 sale to Belgium.

The approval, which was granted by the State Department and announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 19 January, covers 34 aircraft, spares, ancillary systems, simulators and support, and is valued at USD6.53 billion.

The Belgian Air Component (BAC) is seeking to replace its 44 single-seat Lockheed Martin F-16AM and 10 twin-seat F-16BM aircraft in the 2023–30 timeframe with 34 new multirole platforms.

The US government approval for the F-35 does not indicate that Belgium has selected the type or even made a decision, but is the normal administrative step that must be taken ahead of any such sale to a foreign government. However, the F-35 is the strong favourite given that Belgium is part of the Multinational Fighter Program (MNFP) that includes the US and most European F-16AM/BM operators.

The Lightning II has been doing quite nicely in foreign sales.