Volkel Air Base (UDE)

Volkel Air Base (EHVK) serves as one of the Netherlands' two primary F-35A Lightning II operational bases, positioned in North Brabant province where the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force operates two cutting-edge squadrons: No. 312 Squadron performing air support and defense missions, and No. 313 Squadron executing NATO's nuclear strike role following the historic September 2024 retirement of F-16 Fighting Falcons after 45 years of distinguished service spanning Yugoslav conflicts, Afghanistan operations, and anti-ISIS campaigns in Iraq and Syria.

The military installation features dual parallel runways (06L/24R and 06R/24L) both exceeding 3,020 meters in length, supported by 32 hardened aircraft shelters constructed during 1970s improvements and housing critical NATO nuclear sharing arrangements with approximately 22 B61 nuclear bombs stored under strict international protocols. Since January 2017, the facility alternates with Belgium in monitoring Benelux airspace through Quick Reaction Alert missions, where F-35s maintain constant readiness to intercept unidentified aircraft threatening Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg territorial integrity.

Operational significance extends beyond national defense to encompass NATO collective security missions, with the 703rd Munitions Support Squadron from the U.S. Air Force's 52nd Fighter Wing providing specialized ordnance support while Dutch F-35s represent Europe's first transition from F-16 to fifth-generation aircraft for nuclear strike capabilities. The facility coordinates extensively with Dutch air traffic control and European air defense networks managing sophisticated military aircraft movements while maintaining absolute security protocols surrounding nuclear weapons storage and deployment procedures.

Strategic importance positions Volkel at the center of NATO's European defense architecture, ensuring Dutch contributions to alliance deterrence through advanced air support, territorial defense, and nuclear sharing responsibilities while preserving essential military aviation capabilities that have evolved from Cold War F-104 Starfighter operations through F-16 Fighting Falcon decades to current F-35A Lightning II missions defending democratic values across the transatlantic alliance.