RNLAF Patch u Royal Netherlands Air Force F 16 UK Made a

RNLAF Patch F 16 Squadron F 16 UK Made Early 1980s 98mm three and seven eighth inch diameter disc.

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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. The initial Dutch order for 102 F 16A B aircraft 80 single seat F 16As and 22 two seat F 16 Bs
which were to be assembled by Fokker at Schipol plant. The first Dutch built F 16 took off on its maiden flight on 3 May 1979 and the initial delivery of the F 16A B to the RNLAF KLu took place in June 1979.

In December 1983 the Dutch Parliament approved plans to buy an additional 97 F 16As and 14 F 16Bs. This brought the total F 16 inventory to
213 aircraft 177 A models and 36 B models. The last F 16 rolled off the line at Fokkers Schiphol plant on 27 February 1992.

A Multinational Operational Test and Evaluation Centre for the F 16A B Mid Life Update was established at Leeuwarden Air Base during 1997 which updated 138 RNLAF KLu F 16s.

In 2003 the Dutch government decided to cut the F 16 force by a quarter which reduced the fleet to 108 aircraft all of which were upgraded
through the Mid Life Update MLU.

RNLAF Squadrons equipped with F 16s remaining active are 312 Sqn 313 Sqn 322 Sqn and 323 Sqn and those disbanded are 306 Sqn disbanded
2010 311 Sqn disbanded 2011 314 Sqn disbanded 1995 315 Sqn disbanded 2004 and 316 Sqn disbanded 1994

This patch dates from the early 1980s