Netherlands will deploy eight F-35A fighter jets to Bulgaria.

According to information published by Reuters on March 11, 2022, Bulgaria will host up to eight Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft to help it with its air policing tasks amid the war in Ukraine.

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F-35A Lightning II fighter jet (Picture source: Gerard van der Schaaf)

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

To preserve its stealth shaping, the F-35 has two internal weapons bays with four weapons stations. The two outboard weapon stations each can carry ordnance up to 2,500 lb (1,100 kg), or 1,500 lb (680 kg) for F-35B, while the two inboard stations carry air-to-air missiles.

The fighter aircraft has three main variants including the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the carrier-based F-35C (CV/CATOBAR).

The F-35A is the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant intended for the USAF and other air forces. It is the smallest, lightest version and capable of 9 g, the highest of all variants.