The F-16AM Fighting Falcon has been a cornerstone of the Belgian and Dutch air forces since the late 1970s. As part of a NATO standardisation effort, Belgium and the Netherlands jointly procured and assembled the F-16 under a collaborative production programme, becoming two of the first European nations to operate the versatile multirole fighter.

Over the decades, their fleets were modernised to the Mid-Life Update (MLU) standard, redesignated as F-16AMs, enhancing avionics, radar, and weapons systems. Belgian and Dutch F-16s have participated in various NATO operations, including missions over Kosovo, Afghanistan, and against ISIS in the Middle East. Now nearing retirement, both countries plan to replace their Falcons with the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II over the coming years.