2026-10-06

The recent working visit to Italy by Lieutenant General Bernard Phaleg, the Belgian National Armaments Director (NAD) and Head of the Directorate-General Material Resources (DGMR), marks a new step in strengthening Belgian industrial cooperation within the F-35 program. General Phaleg was received in Italy by his Italian counterpart, Dr. Luisa Riccardi, Deputy National Armaments Director. Discussions focused primarily on opportunities for further industrial cooperation in the context of the Belgian F-35 Follow-on-Buy program, through which Belgium intends to expand its future fleet with eleven additional F-35As.
A major component of the visit was a tour of the Italian F-35 facility in Cameri, near Novara. The site houses Europe’s only Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) facility for the F-35. Owned by the Italian Ministry of Defence, the facility is operated by Leonardo in partnership with Lockheed Martin. Cameri assembles F-35A and F-35B aircraft and also produces F-35A wings. In addition, the site possesses a European capacity for the Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul, and Upgrade (MRO&U) of F-35s. Outside the United States, there are two F-35 FACO facilities: Cameri in Italy and Nagoya in Japan.
The visit to Cameri highlights the growing European dimension of the F-35 program. While the United States remains the core of the program, the European defense industry plays an important role in the production, supply chain, and future maintenance of the aircraft. For Belgium, this offers opportunities to further anchor its own industrial capacity within an international production chain.
In 2018, Belgium initially ordered 34 F-35As as the successor to the F-16. On top of that, Belgium's current Strategic Vision provides for 11 additional F-35s, bringing the planned Belgian fleet to 45 aircraft. The Belgian government has thus chosen not only to expand its operational capability, but also to further strengthen industrial participation in the program.
A key component of this industrial participation is the Belgian consortium BeLightning, comprising Sonaca, SABCA, and ASCO. The three companies were selected to produce the F-35’s horizontal tail. ASCO and SABCA manufacture the various components, while Sonaca is responsible for final assembly in Gosselies.
In this context, ASCO produces the metallic parts of the horizontal tail and delivers other complex structural components for the F-35. SABCA produces composite panels, skins, and substructures, among other elements. Sonaca then carries out the precision assembly of the complete horizontal tail.
Belgian industrial involvement, however, extends beyond BeLightning. Safran Aero Boosters, in collaboration with Flemish firm BMT Aerospace, has established a strong position regarding the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine. In 2025, an agreement was signed to establish production capacity in Belgium for key F135 components. In July 2026, a further agreement was reached with Pratt & Whitney for the qualification and supply of F135 components, leveraging advanced additive manufacturing techniques.
Solvay, whose specialty materials activities now fall under Syensqo, has also been long involved in the F-35 program. Solvay supplies high-performance composite materials, structural composites, and adhesives for the program. Additionally, work continues in Belgium on new composite technologies within projects under Belgium's Essential Security Interests (ESI) framework.
The significance of this industrial participation extends well beyond Belgian F-35s alone. Belgian companies supply components, materials, and technologies within the international F-35 supply chain. As a result, they contribute to aircraft for various user nations, not just the Belgian fleet. Lockheed Martin emphasizes that suppliers from international partner countries produce components for global F-35 production.
The discussions between Lieutenant General Phaleg and Dr. Riccardi confirm the importance of the long-standing Belgian-Italian partnership. For Belgium, the European F-35 infrastructure provides opportunities not only to expand industrial participation in production, but also to align with future European maintenance, support, and modernization capabilities. The planned expansion of the Belgian F-35 fleet will only increase the importance of this industrial dimension in the coming years.

Info and images for illustration purposes: MOD, DGMR Belgium, Lockheed Martin, Direzione Nazionale degli Armamenti, BeLightning Consortium, Safran Aero Boosters & BMT Aerospace, Syensqo / Solvay, Leonardo Aircraft Division, Aeronautica Militare Press Room, ASCO.

Source: Aviation Day.