Dutch F-35 Fleet โคDeploys to U.S. for NATO Readiness Exercise
IDAHO – twelve F-35 fighter jets from the Royal Netherlands Air Force departed for Idaho this week to participate in a three-week training exercise focusedโ on enhancing NATO defense capabilities. The deployment, announced October 29, 2025, by the Dutch Ministry of Defence, includes aircraft from Leeuwarden and Volkel โคair bases and โขis supported by four Airbus A330 MRTT tanker aircraft from the NATO tanker fleet, providing in-flight โrefueling.
This large-scale training initiative aims to โขincrease the readiness and effectiveness of the โคDutch โคair force by simulating realistic war scenarios, encompassing precision bombing, electronic warfare defense, and evasive maneuvers. The exercise will utilize expansive airspace in Idaho, offering a more complete training surroundings than available in the Netherlands.
The deployment underscores the Netherlands’ commitment to bolstering โฃNATO’s collective defense posture. Training โคabroad allows Dutch โคpilots to encounter more challenging andโ diverse scenarios,preparing them for a wider range of potential operational environments. Recent exercises, suchโ as the Finnish exercise Baana 25 in May 2025 – where Dutch F-35s practiced operations from a public highway – and a joint exercise at รmari Air Base in Estonia, demonstrate a focusโ on Agile โCombat employment, enabling rapid โdeployment of F-35s to alliedโ air bases. Theโค Estonian exercise also provided valuable observation opportunities for Estonian Air Force maintenance personnel, despiteโค the country not currently operating the F-35.
