------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Version of 31 March 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ List of Belgian Military Aircraft. ====================================== Belgium is a small country at the North Sea coast, north of France, West of Germany and south of Holland. It currently has 10 million inhabitants. Belgium became independent in 1830. Of course the country never had important military or political power; but its strategic importance is great. Hence the Belgian territory contains a lot of battlefields, of which Waterloo is probably the best known. Roman, French, British, German, Dutch, Spanish and American soldiers have left their tracks (and often their bodies) on its soil. Independence and neutrality did not keep the country out of WWI and WWII; in both wars the route of the attacking German forces went through neutral Belgium. In the first, Belgium was largely occupied; in the second, it was occupied entirely. After WWII it abandoned neutrality and became a member of NATO and EC, hosting the headquarters of both organizations. The Belgian Army has not always been small. In 1940 the Belgian Army counted no less than 550.000 soldiers, ten times the total size of its current military forces. But because of the small size of the country, and the tradition of cutting the defence budget every year, the Belgian Army has nearly always been, with exception of a few elite units, a second-rate force with obsolete equipment. On 10 May 1940, the day of the German invasion, the Belgian Air Force had 182 combat aircraft, but of these only the 11 Hawker Hurricanes were modern aircraft, while the Fiat C.R.42s and Fairey Battles were new, but inherently obsolete. Because of the vulnerability of the territory, it was inevitable that in both world wars the Belgian forces had to rely strongly on their allies.During WWII this meant that the few Belgians in military service after the occupation of the country itself, were part of foreign forces. For the air force, this also meant using foreign-built aircraft. Especially after WWII, when the original air force, created in 1913, had been destroyed and a new one was created by transferring Belgian RAF units. The British air force structure was later replaced by one along American lines, when US aircraft were delivered under the MADP program. The market for home-built aircraft was always small. Until 1940 there was a small industry that built a number of own designs. The most famous of these is the Stampen-Vertongen SV 4 training biplane, a popular aircraft for aerobatics. Bombers and fighters comparable to the aircraft of other countries were also built, but were seldom granted a production contract. WWII put an end to most of the national aviation industries design capability. The Belgian aviation industry now almost entirely survives by license-building, wich generates jobs and transfers technology, but does little for the design capability. In the case of military equipment, license-building contracts and other so-called 'compensations' have become the determining factor in the awarding of contracts, leading to the procurement of less suitable equipment, cost increases, and corruption scandals. Belgian forces were involved in several times in Zaire, a former colony, and in several UN peace-keeping missions. The role of the Air Force has been limited to the transport of soldiers, famine relief operations with C-130's and the presence of Belgian Mirage 5's in Turkey during the Gulf war. The Belgian air force is insufficiently equipped and armed for a modern war, but standards of reliability and maintainability are high. Recently the strength of the air force has been cut by the retirement of the last Mirages and the storage, possibly for sale, of part of the F-16s; training has been restricted to 165 flying hours per year (less than NATO's demanded 180, but better than the 120 hours of 1984), the army abandoned its fixed wing-aircraft, and the Belgian forces have been brought back from bases in Germany. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --0-------------------------------------------------------------------------- --A-------------------------------------------------------------------------- A 109, Agusta After a competition with the Westland, Aerospatiale and Sikorsky the A 109 was selected to replace the Alouette II as reconaissance and anti-tank helicopter, 18 and 28 being ordered respectively. Delivery of the A 109 was slowed down by weight problems, but even more important was the corruption scandal that followed its selection. Alouette II, Sud Utility helicopter. From 1990 onwards most were replaced by A 109's, but some remained in service as trainers. Alpha Jet, Dassault-Breguet-Dornier German/French jet trainer. The Belgian Alpha Jets are of the type also built for France, i.e. without armament, while the German ones have a secondary ground-attack function. Anson, Avro British light transport and liaison aircraft. 15 in Belgian service. ATTA 3000, Promavia Twin-engined jet trainer, a low-wing aircraft with two jet engines. Project announced in 1989. Type: ATTA 3000 Country: Belgium Function: trainer Year: Crew: 2 Engines: 2 * 680kg Garrett TFE109-2 Speed: 899km/h Ceiling: 12190m Range: 1760km Armament: Auster British artillery reconaissance and liaison aircraft. Used by the 369th squadron at Brasschaat for artillery observation. Aviator, Aviatik Pusher biplane, similar to the French Farman. It was a gift of baron de Caters to King Albert I. It is told that de Caters sometimes used a (?) banknote to light his cigar... Avro 626 British biplane trainer. The twelve 626s were quickly replaced by S.V.5s. --B------------------------------------------------------------------------- BAe 748, British Aerospace Three BAe 748-288 twin-turboprop transport aicraft. Battle, Fairey Belgium was more important in the history of the Battle than the other way around -- six out of nine were lost in an attack on a bridge over the Albert Canal, without damage to the bridge, despite one hist with a 50kg bomb! That ended the combat career of the Battle. BE 2, Royal Aircraft Factory A number of British BE2c aircraft with Daimler engines were received in 1916. Later they were modified with far more powerful Hispano-Suiza engines, but this did not cure the obsolescence of the type. Replaced in 1917. BH-21, Avia Biplane fighter from Chzechoslovakia. 45 were in service, of which onyl one deliverd by Avia and the rest license-built. BH-33, Avia Biplane fighter, a development of the BH-21 with a Bristol Jupiter radial engine. Three in service. Bleriot XI When J. Olieslagers and J. Tijk entered service at the outbreak of WWI, they also contributed their Bleriot XI monoplanes. Two two-seat Bleriot XI-2 were supplied by France. Boeing 727 Two 727QC transports, ex-SABENA aircraft. Breguet XIV French biplane reconaissance and bomber. About 40 in Belgian service, some until 1927. Breguet XIX French biplane. SABCA built 146 of this famous all-round aircraft for the air force. 1927. Buffalo, Brewster Some of these fighters -- known as F2A to the US Navy -- were indeed ordered (that sounds rather unwise, but the air force also bought the Fiat CR.42), but the delivery was too late. The aircraft were halted at Bordeaux and sent back to the USA. --C------------------------------------------------------------------------- C.2, ACA-Zeebrugge Two-seat fighter-reconaissance biplane. Two built. Type: C.2 Function: fighter-reconaissance Year: 1926 Crew: 2 Engines: 1 * 450hp Hispano-Suiza 12Ga Speed: 250km/h Ceiling: Range: Armament: 3*mg7.7mm C-54, Douglas DC-4. Two in Belgian service from 1950 onwards. C-118, Douglas DC-6. C-119 Flying Boxcar, Fairchild 46 supplied by the USA form 1953 onwards. Retired in 1973. C-130 Hercules, Lockheed The ubiqutous US-built transport aircraft. C 400 Goeland, Caudron French transport aircraft. One used by the FAB/BL. Ca 335, Caproni See S 47. Camel, Sopwith British biplane fighter. Between 30 and 40 in Belgian service, delivered in 1917 and retired in 1922. CF-100 Canuck, Avro Canadian all-weather fighter. Entered service in 1957; retired in 1964. The CF-100 was reliable and effective, but soon became obsolete. Chickinox, Dynali Delta-wing ultralight; 25 ordered by the Indian airforce for the pre-selection of pilots. CR.42, Fiat Italian biplane fighter. The CR.42 fighters were new in 1940, but nevertheless completely obsolete. --D------------------------------------------------------------------------- D VII, Fokker At the end of WWII, Germany was ordered to deliver 324 aircraft to Belgium, including 75 Fokker D.VII fighters. Only 34 were airworthy. They served as trainers until 1930. DC-3, Douglas DC-4, Douglas Two were used for military transports from and to Congo. DC-6, Douglas Deperdussin Monococque 1913 This was the personal aircraft of H. Crombez, who joined the air force at the outbreak of WWI and brought his aircraft with him. DH-9, De Havilland Do-27, Dornier Twelve liaison aircraft for the Army. Dominie, De Havilland British transport biplane, seven in Belgian AF service. Dove, De Havilland --E------------------------------------------------------------------------- Epervier, Renard Single-seat fighter. The Epervier was a parasol-wing monoplane with clean lines, of metal construction. It was designed for Stampe-Vertongen, but designer Renard left the company and took the Epervier design with him. The first prototype was lost in 1928. A second was built, but in 1930 the Fairey Firefly fighter biplane was chosen for the air force. Type: Epervier 2bis Function: fighter Year: 1928 Crew: 1 Engines: 1 * 480hp SABCA Jupiter Speed: 273km/h Ceiling: Range: Armament: 2*mg7.7mm Fox, Fairey Fast biplane light bomber that revolutionized the design of such aircraft when it first appeared, outpacing most fighters. But the 89 that formed the larger part of the Air Force strength in 1940 were already completely obsolete. The Fox was license-built by the Belgian 'Avions Fairey', that also produced two-seat and single-seat fighter versions. --F------------------------------------------------------------------------- F40, Farman F-16, General Dynamics The small all-round fighter from G.D. won the 'sale of the century' to equip the air forces of the small European NATO partners. Belgium bought 162, but recent cutbacks mean that some will be sold again. In contrast to other NATO partners, Belgium did not immediately buy ECM equipment, and the F-16s were considered unsuitable for operations in conflict zones until Dassault Carapace passive ECM was delivered in 1994 --- the selection of this equipment leading to accusations of corruption. F-84 Thunderjet, Republic Entered service in 1951, delivered by the USA as military aid. The F-84E and F-84G were in service. The F-84Es kept their USAF 'Buzz numbers' in Belgian service, and where returned in their original paint scheme. Of the 213 F-84Gs delivered, 54 were lost in accidents. F-84F Thunderstreak, Republic Swept-wing fighter-bomber of US design. 197 replaced the F-84 Thunderjet in the Belgian AF. RF-84F Thunderflash, Republic 34 were delivered. F-104 Starfighter, Lockheed Replaced the F-84F and CF-100. Falcon 20, Dassault-Breguet Two VIP transports. Farman A Farman biplane was the first aircraft of the 'Compagnie des Aviateurs', created in 1910. FBA, Schreck Single-engined biplane flying boat of the WWI period. The Schreck could carry two 50kg bombs. Feroce, Fairey See Phantom. Firefly, Fairey FK 56, Koolhoven Dutch monoplane trainer with retractable landing gear. A few were bought in the emergency situation of 1939. Fox, Fairey --G------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gladiator, Gloster GN, Farman Farman-type pusher biplane, built in license by the Belgian army at Beaumarais. Six are known. GR 8, LACAB Ugly, angular twin-engined biplane bomber. Only one built. --H------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harvard, North American Some were sent to Congo (Zaire). HD-1, Hanriot French fighter biplane, not popular with the French but built in large numbers for Belgium and Italy. Between 79 and 125 were delivered to Belgium. Heron, de Havilland HF, Henry Farman French pusher biplane. A number of aircraft, several versions powered by engines of varying power, were in service with the Belgian armed forces from 1910 onwards. HS.748, Hawker Siddeley Three medium range transport aircraft. HSS-1, Sikorksy Seven delivered between 1963 and 1969; later seven more S-58C were bought from Sabena. Hunter, Hawker The Hunter F.4 replaced the Meteor F.8 and F-84 in 1957; they were soon updated to or replaced by Hunter F.6s. A total of 144 were in service. Hurricane, Hawker Eleven Hawker Hurricanes were the only modern aircraft the air force had in May 1940. Belgium had bought 15, impressed four, and built two; only 11 were operational. Most were destroyed by attack before they could be moved to wartime airfields; three survived, but were never to be used in combat. After the war Belgium received three more. --I------------------------------------------------------------------------- Islander, Britten-Norman --J------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jero-Farman These were license-built Henry Farman pusher biplanes, built in Antwerp by Bollekens. Jet Squalus, Promavia This is a small low-wing ab initio jet trainer, built by a Italian/Belgain joint venture. The Belgian air force is not interested, but there are efforts to sell it abroad, with the uprated TFE109-3 engine. Its was one of the contenders for the USA JPATS requirement, and the Portugese OGMA will license-build it. Type: Jet Squalus Function: trainer Year: 1987 Crew: 2 Engines: 2 * 5.92kN Garrett TFE109-1 Speed: 519km/h Ceiling: 10670m Range: 1850km Armament: 600kg --K------------------------------------------------------------------------- --L------------------------------------------------------------------------- L-18, Piper Used by the Army. --M------------------------------------------------------------------------- M.1, Ponnier French fighter biplane that was built in small numbers, most of which went to Belgium. It was soon declared unusable. Type: M.1 Function: fighter Year: 1916 Crew: 1 Engines: 1 * 80hp Le Rhone 9C Speed: 167km/h Ceiling: Range: Armament: 1*mg7.7mm Magister, Fouga Magister, Miles British low-wing trainer. One in Belgian service. Merlin, Swearingen Five Merlin IIIAs. Meteor, Gloster First jet aircraft of the Belgian air force. Fighter, trainer and nightfighter versions were used. MF, Maurice Farman Maurice Farman biplanes of the types MF 7, MF 11 and MF 13 were supplied by France during the initial stages of WWI. Mirage 5, Dassault The Mirage 5 was a ground-attack version of the Mirage III, with less electronics but more fuel. Selected to replace the F-84F in 1968; most of the aircraft were license-built in Belgium. Mosquito, De Havilland Servd as nightfighter and target tug, from 1947 onwards; these were ex-RAF aircraft. Last retired in 1956. MS.236, Morane-Saulnier High-wing trainer and liaison aicraft. Approx 20 were license built by SABCA. Despite their age they were used as reconaissance aircraft in 1940. --N------------------------------------------------------------------------- NiD.29, Nieuport-Delage Twenty of this biplane fighter were bought from the manufacturer; 88 were license-built by SABCA. Nieuport 10 French biplane fighter, some received in mid-1915. Soon replaced by the Nieuport 11 and 17. Nieuport 11 Replaced the Farman biplanes in 1916. Nieuport 16 Nieuport 17 Twelve received in 1916, replaced in summer 1917. --O------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oxford, Airspeed British twin-engined trainer and liaison aircraft. In service until 1957. --P------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pembroke, Percival Twelve replaced the Anson on 1954. Used until 1976. Phantom, Fairey The British Fairey company had a factory in Belgium, since this country had been the first buyer of the Firefly biplane. The Phantom, a neat biplane fighter, was offered to the air force. No production. Proctor, Percival British low-wing liaison aircraft. Six in Belgian service. Puma, Aerospatial French medium-size transport helicopter. Three Puma's are in service with the Gendarmerie -- that was, until recently, a part of the Army. It was tried to trade one for a refurbishing of the other two, but recently one was damaged beyond repair. Pup, Sopwith British biplane fighter. Some in Belgian service. --Q------------------------------------------------------------------------- --R------------------------------------------------------------------------- R 31, Renard Parasol-winged reconaissance aircraft. The R 31 was still in service in 1940, as the only aircraft of Belgian design flown in combat in WWII. It was unpopular with its crews because of its bad flying characteristics. 34 built. Type: R 31 Function: reconaissance Year: 1935 Crew: 2 Engines: 1 * 525hp R.R. Kestrel II-S Speed: 295km/h Ceiling: 8750m Range: Armament: 2-3*mg R 32, Renard Improved R 31. Two built. R 36, Renard Single-seat, low-wing fighter monoplane, a modern design. After the loss of the prototype, the government decided to buy the Hawker Hurricane. Type: R 36 Function: fighter Year: 1937 Crew: 1 Engines: 1 * 910hp Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs Speed: 505km/h Ceiling: Range: 1000km Armament: 1*g20mm 4*mg7.7mm R 37, Renard Development of the R 36. The R 37 had a closely-cowled radial engine. It was not flown before the German invasion. A German pilot, presumably not knowing that this was the first flight, flew it to Germany, but there is no record of any testing. Type: R 37 Function: fighter Year: 1940 Crew: 1 Engines: 1 * 1100hp Gnome-Rhone 14N-21 Speed: 5140km/h Ceiling: Range: Armament: 4*mg7.7mm R 38, Renard Development of the R 36 with a R.R. Merlin engine. One built before the tests were brought to a halt by the German invasion. Type: R 38 Function: fighter Year: 1939 Crew: 1 Engines: 1 * 1030hp R.R. Merlin II Speed: 545km/h Ceiling: Range: 1350km Armament: 4*mg7.7mm R 40, Renard Development of the R 38 with a pressure cabin. One built. RE 8, Royal Aircraft Factory British reconaissance biplane. 22 bought, replacing the BE 2C. Retired in 1918. RSV18.100 High-wing aircraft. A biplane version was known as the RSV25. The aircraft could easily be converted, and three were built in the USA as the 'R.S.V. Convertible Plane'. RSV23.180 Improved RSV26.180. RSV25.100 Biplane version of the RSV18.100. RSV26.180 Biplane trainer. A version of the RSV32.90 for advanced training, with smaller wings and a more powerful engine. Type: RSV26.180 Function: trainer Year: 1925 Crew: 2 Engines: 1 * 180hp Hispano-Suiza Speed: 182km/h Ceiling: Range: Armament: RSV28.100 Parasol monoplane, intended for instrument-flying training. Type: RSV28.100 Function: trainer Year: 1932 Crew: Engines: Speed: Ceiling: Range: Armament: RSV32.90, Stampe-Vertongen Biplane trainer, mostly built for the Belgian Air Force; some used as liaison aircraft in 1940. 57 built. Type: RSV32.90 Function: trainer Year: 1923 Crew: 2 Engines: 1 * 65kW Anzani 10C Speed: 125km/h Ceiling: 5000m Range: --S------------------------------------------------------------------------- S.VII, Spad French fighter biplane. 22 delivered in 1917. S.XI, Spad Two-seat version of the S.VII. S.XIII, Spad French fighter biplane. S 40, SABCA Two-seat trainer monoplane, 1939. No production. S 47, SABCA Single-engined attack monoplane, a development of the Italian Caproni Ca 335 attack aircraft. SABCA built one in 1938. S-58, Sikorsky S 73, Savoia Marchetti Three-engined tranport aircraft. The S 73 flew with the state-owned Sabena airline, but were impressed in military service in 1940. Sea King, Westland SF 260, SIAI Short 827 Four 827's, on loan from the British Admiralty, were used in campaign in East Africa during WWI. Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter British reconaissance biplane. About 20 bought, finally retired in 1921. Spitfire, Supermarine Spitfires were flown by Belgian pilots in the R.A.F. In 1946 the Spitfires of 349th and 350th squadron received Belgian colors. About 180 were bought from Britain, but these were mark IX and XIV, while the wartime equipment of these units had been mark XVIs. SV 4, Stampe-Vertongen Biplane trainer, obviously inspired by the De Havilland Moth. The SV 4 was Stampe-Vertongen's most built aircraft, and the compnay was briefly revived after the war to build SV 4's. The SV 4 enjoyed such reputation as trainer and aerobatic aircraft, that production was resumed in the late 40's, when a French company built 700 for the Armee de l'Air and flying clubs. The Belgian AF had 65. Type: SV 4B Function: trainer Year: 1933 Crew: 2 Engines: 1 * 125hp De Havilland Gipsy Major I Speed: 205km/h Ceiling: 5200m Range: 420km SV 5, Stampe-Vertongen Two-seat trainer biplane. SABCA built about 30 for the air force, and it was also built for Lithuania. Type: SV 5 Function: trainer Year: 1935 Crew: 2 Engines: 1 * 250kW Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX Speed: 277km/h Ceiling: 7200m Range: Armament: 2*mg SV 6, Stampe-Vertongen Single-seat biplane. 125hp De Havilland Gipsy Major. SV 7, Stampe-Vertongen Biplane reconaissance bomber. The SV 7 was an obsolete design. The Fairey Battle was ordered by the air force. Type: SV 7 Function: reconaissance bomber Year: 1935 Crew: 2 Engines: 1 * 507hp P&W Wasp Speed: Ceiling: Range: Armament: 5*mg SV 10, Stampe-Vertongen Fighter-bomber. The SV 10 was a twin-engined sesquiplane. The prototype was lost in an accident. Type: SV 10 Function: fighter-bomber Year: 1935 Crew: 5 Engines: 2 * Gnome-Rhone 14Krsd Speed: 350km/h Ceiling: 8000m Range: Armament: 0-1*g 5-4*mg 600kg SV 18, Stampe-Vertongen Slightly more powerful version of the SV 4. SV 22, Stampe-Vertongen. Biplane trainer. Sycamore, Bristol Three Sycamore's were used from Kamina, in Congo, for Search & Rescue. --T------------------------------------------------------------------------- T-33, Lockheed Arrived in March 1952. Tiger Moth, de Havilland British biplane trainer. Was replaced by the SV4 in 1950. --U------------------------------------------------------------------------- --V------------------------------------------------------------------------- Voisin 3 Some (5 or 7) supplied by France in the winter of 1914. --W------------------------------------------------------------------------- --X------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Y------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Z------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------