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ConflictMultinational Weapons Instructor Course held in Netherlands, focusing on 5th-gen integration
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The Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force hosted a Multinational Weapons Instructor Course at Leeuwarden Air Base from July 6-10, 2026, involving 24 students from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. Participants included fighter pilots, intelligence officers, air battle managers, tactical airlift crews, and ground-based air defence personnel. They flew intensive training missions with up to three daily waves involving as many as 20 aircraft, featuring Dutch and Danish F-35 fighters and Finnish F/A-18 aircraft, with commercial 'red air' adversary support. The course aims to develop elite weapons instructors who return to their national units to train others and lead multinational air operations, focusing on integrating fifth-generation fighters, intelligence, command and control, electronic warfare, and ground-based air defence. The training reflects NATO's emphasis on interoperability and collective readiness, with the course now continuing in Norway. Leeuwarden Air Base has hosted such training since the 1950s and runs the course every two years.
Source report
The Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force has hosted a Multinational Weapons Instructor Course at Leeuwarden Air Base, NATO’s Allied Air Command has announced.
Course Overview
The course ran from 6 to 10 July and brought together 24 students from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Participants included:
- Fighter pilots
- Intelligence officers
- Air battle managers
- Tactical airlift crews
- Ground-based air defence personnel
According to Allied Air Command, students flew intensive training missions from Leeuwarden, conducting up to three daily waves involving as many as 20 aircraft.
Aircraft and Exercises
The exercises featured:
- Dutch and Danish F-35 fighters
- Finnish F/A-18 aircraft
- Commercial “red air” adversary support playing the enemy role
NATO stated that participants were trained to integrate advanced air capabilities and command multinational operations in increasingly contested environments. Following the Dutch phase, the course continues in Norway.
Purpose and Objectives
According to Allied Air Command, the Weapons Instructor Course develops weapons instructors among the most highly qualified tactical specialists in NATO air forces. These instructors return to their national units to train others and lead future multinational air operations.
Students learn to plan and command Large Force Employment missions involving several aircraft, integrating:
- Fifth-generation fighters
- Intelligence capabilities
- Command and control systems
- Electronic warfare
- Ground-based air defence
Strategic Context
NATO described the programme as reflecting its increasing emphasis on interoperability, with allies seeking to strengthen collective readiness in a rapidly evolving security environment. By training together and using common platforms such as the F-35, the participating nations aim to improve their ability to operate together during alliance missions.
Leeuwarden Air Base
Leeuwarden Air Base has served as a centre for advanced air warfare training since the 1950s and hosts the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Weapons School. According to NATO, the base runs the Weapons Instructor Course every two years, and the programme has evolved into a multinational effort supporting NATO interoperability and preparing allied personnel for coalition air operations.
The spread of the F-35 across European air forces has made courses of this kind increasingly cross-national, with the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgium all operating or introducing the type.
Source
UK Defence JournalWestern
Part of this Story
Allied air forces train elite instructors in Netherlands