Short description
Volkel Air Base is a key base of the Royal Netherlands Air Force located in the province of Noord-Brabant, south of the city of Uden. The area surrounding the air base is rather flat and offers a perfect environment for military aviation. Volkel is the home of two flying squadrons, both operating the F-35A, the 312 and the 313 Squadron, with the 313 Squadron being traditionally known as the “Tiger Squadron”.
History of Volkel Air Base
The Volkel Air Base has a rich history, with its early beginnings dating back to 1940 when the the German occupying forces expanded the base as an alternate airfield for their planes. It consisted of three unpaved runways and a few soft shelters. In this time, between 1943 and 1944 German forces based a squadron of Fw 190 and Bf 109G and upgraded the airfield to paved runways and hardened shelters. Later also German Me 262 were present at EHVK. Strong airstrikes during Operation Market Garden finally ended the usage by the Luftwaffe. After this phase, the Allied forces used the airbase until late 1945.
Thereafter from 1949 on the base was used by the Dutch Marine Corps which handed over control in 1950 to the Koninklijke Luchtmacht. During the Cold War, the base was expanded to a large scale air base with the first asset being the Gloster Meteor. After the Gloster Meteor, the air base was mainly used by american made aircraft:
- 1951-1965 Republic F-84E/G/F
- 1952-1972 Lockheed T/RT-33A
- 1962-1984 Lockheed F/RF/TF-104G Starfighter
After that, in 1982, the legendary F-16A/B arrived at Volkel, starting a new era for the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In total 4 flying squadrons received the F-16A/B: 306, 311, 312 and the 313 Squadron. In the 2000s, the F-16s at Volkel received the “Mid-Life Update” short MLU. These upgrades brought the F-16 an expanded lifespan by 5000 flight hours and technical upgrades. The F-16 MLUs received the AN/APG-66 V2 radar which enabled beyond-visual-range engagements. The armament of the F-16 MLU received several upgrades allowing the use of AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9X Sidewinder or also laser-guided GBU bombs. In 2010 and 2011 the 306 and 311 Squadrons were disbanded, leaving only the 312 and 313 Squadrons operational at Volkel.
The successor of the F-16 at 312 and 313 Squadron is the F-35A. The first four of the 58 F-35As ordered arrived at Volkel on 30 June 2022 and were handed over to the 313 Squadron, which had previously been disbanded. During the phase-out of the F-16s, Volkel was a multi-platform air base operating the F-16s in 312 Squadron and the F-35 in the 313 Squadron. The Dutch F-16 era came to an end in September 2024. The final operational flights took place on 24 September, followed by an official farewell formation on 27 September, which flew over several locations associated with the aircraft’s service in the Netherlands. The F-35A subsequently assumed the remaining operational roles of the F-16.
Recent operations
As the transition to the F-35A is finished at Volkel, they complete daily training missions and participate in multinational exercises, such as the Weapons Instructor Course in 2026 in Ørland or Exercise Air Defender 2023. It also regularly hosted air assets for exercises like Steadfast Noon or similar trainings.
Volkel has hosted the Luchtmachtdagen, the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s public air show showcasing military aviation capabilities and international participants. The last edition took place in 2019. No subsequent edition has been held as of October 2026.
