In 1946, just one year after the end of the Second World War, the Belgian air force was founded as an independent arm of the Belgian military. Join us at the 45th International Sanicole Airshow on 13 & 14 September 2025 as we pay honour to this event with a special act: The Belgian Air Force Heritage Flight.
Leading the Flight will be the pristine Spitfire MkXVI of Kris Van den Bergh, based at Brustem near Sint-Truiden. The historic Spitfire was the first fighter aircraft in service with the Belgian air force and also served with distinction in the hands of Belgian pilots flying with the British Royal Air Force during the Second World War. The gorgeous Spitfire flown by Kris is painted in the wartime colourscheme of 349 (F) squadron, which is based at Kleine-Brogel nowadays.
Joining the Spitfire will be the current frontline fighter of the Belgian air force, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, already in Belgian service for 46 years. Soon, it will gradually be replaced by the state-of-the-art F-35 Lightning II, but it will continue to guard the airspace of Belgium and its neighbours for a while longer. In this way, the poignant heritage flight brings together the first fighter and the current day fighter of the Belgian air force, on the cusp of the move to the next generation of combat aircraft in Belgium, another giant leap in technology that will ensure the high effectiveness of Belgian crews for countless years to come.
Don’t miss this memorable moment over Hechtel-Eksel at the International Sanicole Airshow 2025!
