Replacement of Belgian Air Force SF260 enters selection phase
In November 2020, Scramble Magazine first wrote on the replacement of the SIAI-Marchetti SF260 training aircraft of the Belgische Luchtmacht (Belgian Air Component, Belgian Air Force).
At that moment, the timeline for the replacement of the current training fleet was unknown but later the Belgian Defence minister Ludivine DeDonder announced that the SF260 is to be replaced in 2023 at the latest.
At the end of October 2022, the Belgian government announced their approval to start the procedure for the SF260 replacement as basic trainer for the air force. The selected aircraft will be used under a basic flight training capability meaning that the aircraft will be leased from a civil operator. This operator is to provide a full package of aircraft, simulators, maintenance and logistics. Instructors will remain military and Beauvechain will remain the training airbase.
The Austrian Diamond Dart 550 is still the most likely candidate for the future training role. The number of aircraft to be ordered is yet unknown, however the air force is looking for an average flight hour capacity of about 6,000 hours.
It is strange that no shortlist of possible candidates has been published by the Belgian Air Force. Also, if they continue acquiring the Diamond Dart 550, the Belgian Air Force will be the only user of this type. If you have more information regarding the selection by the Belgian Air Force for a successor of the SF260s, please let us know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Photo by Nik Deblauwe (Scramble Archive)