From Monday, November 9, 2020, the exercise Frisian Lightning II started at Volkel Air Base. During this exercise, the new F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft from Leeuwarden Air Base were sent to a domestic deployment for the first time in the Dutch history of this aircraft. At the end of the afternoon, the four brand new F-35A Lightning II fighters landed at Volkel Air Base. The landing of these aircraft attracted the attention of aircraft spotters who were ready to welcome the aircraft. The exercise would last until Friday November 20, when the aircraft will fly back to Leeuwarden. The aircraft will fly two waves per day during the exercise. The first wave will take place in the afternoon and will be flown in daylight. The second wave is flown in the darkness of the evening. The flights will take about an hour and a half each time. The intention is that during these flights as many F-35s as possible will be launched in order to train as much as possible. The entire detachment from Leeuwarden consists of about 150 men and women. The pilots who participate in this exercise are all qualified; they are all trained on the F-35 and all have years of experience on the F-16. Previously, the logistics, IT and security departments of the squadron already practiced at Leeuwarden Air Base during the exercise Frisian Lightning I. Here they trained in packing and preparing ground equipment and spare parts. therefore this exercise was a dry run in preparation for a real move. The experiences and lessons learned from that exercise are now applied in this second exercise. This time it concerns a transfer to another air base within the Netherlands.
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