Belgian F-16 Fighter Replacement To Cost Close To $16.4 Billion

[Zarvan]

Belgium’s plan to purchase 34 fighter aircraft will cost nearly 15 billion euros (16.4 billion) which includes purchase and use for over forty years.

The whole ‘life-cycle cost’ (LCC) on an estimated life of about 40 years between commissioning and 2058 is about triple the purchase price, Colonel Harry Van Pee, officer-in-charge of the F-16 replacement program was quoted as saying by RTBF, Belgian news daily Wednesday.

The Minister of Defense, Steven Vandeput last December reserved 3.5 billion euros to buy 34 new combat aircraft to replace the aging F-16 fleet between 2023 and 2029.

By adding all costs (acquisition, use two aircraft during the transition period, purchase of spare parts and documentation, personnel training and even changes and developments term), we reach more than triple costs over the lifetime, an amount of about 14.750 billion euros, added Colonel Van Pee.

Belgium still has to issue a request for proposal (RFP) to launch the project so as to allow the new fighter to be in service as per the schedule.

For deliveries to begin by 2023, Belgium is expected to issue an RFP by mid-2016. A contract will have to be awarded by 2018 to allow for production and testing.

Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-35 and Saab Gripen are expected to bid for the program.

Belgian F-16 Fighter Replacement To Cost Close To $16.4 Billion

 

[rockstar08]

PAF should try to get their hands of those F-16 's specially the block 15 OCU one's

 

[C130]

they should buy 34 new F-16V or Gripen E/F


$16.5 billion over the entire lifetime isn't bad

 

[HAIDER]

F35 is binding contract. Either they stay with F16 or buy fewer in number of F35. No other option.

 

[Zarvan]

PAF should try to get their hands of those F-16 's specially the block 15 OCU one's

We already are trying to get F-16 from Europe most likely candidates are Netherlands and Denmark and Belgium

 

[Penguin]

Belgium is not one of the F-35 partners, and is planning to hold a competition next year, among the Eurofighter, F-35, F/A-18 Super Hornet, Gripen and Rafale, to replace its F-16s. A Belgian officer told The Fighter Conference in London last week that the country would not include a requirement that its new fighter be capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. Belgium is one of five European NATO nations that have agreed to deliver the U.S. B61 nuclear bomb, if released by NATO. Of the candidates under consideration, only the F-35 would enable Belgium to maintain that commitment. Bogdan told AIN recently that he didn’t envision the B61 or a replacement nuclear weapon being cleared for carriage on the F-35 until “the mid-2020s.”

Affordability Still A Major Issue for the F-35 Program | Defense News: Aviation International News

 

[Darth Vader]

There were Talks about Norwegian F 16 but problem is these birds are way to old and used to put in use because Paf wants to add these birds for extra 1.5 to 2 decades with these birds

 

[rockstar08]

We already are trying to get F-16 from Europe most likely candidates are Netherlands and Denmark and Belgium

so far PAF have not contacted any European country for that , there was no Bid put up by PAF .. so its just another assumption that we are but there is no prove for it.