USAF F-16 Pilot Receives Dutch Flying Cross

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This may have been posted before but it is an important act of bravery on the pilots part.
The Dutch have not bestowed their coveted Flying Cross on one of their countrymen since World War II, much less on an American. But this prestigious honor was given to a US pilot in January when Dutch Minister of Defense Frank de Grave pinned the Dutch Flying Cross on Maj. William Thomas during a ceremony at The Hague.
Thomas and his flight lead, RNLAF Maj. Marcel Duivelsteijn, received the award for their actions during Operation Allied Force. Thomas, a fifteen-year veteran, was assigned as an exchange pilot at the time to RNLAF?s 323rd Tactical Training Test Evaluation and Standardization Squadron at Leeuwarden Air Base. In June 1999, both F-16 pilots were initially assigned a night targeting pod mission over Batajnica airfield, near Belgrade, Serbia, to destroy hardened aircraft shelters. Just before takeoff, their air-tasking order changed to find and destroy four MiG-29s parked on the Batajnica airfield.

Without any other air support, the Fighting Falcon pilots located two of the four MiGs on their first pass and took out a grounded aircraft each. Coming back around, Thomas destroyed a third MiG. Meanwhile, the Serbs fired two surface-to-air missiles, forcing Duivelsteijn to take a low-altitude dive while temporarily blinded from the plume of one of the SAMs. Thomas, realizing Duivelsteijn was in trouble, flew into the AAA zone and dispensed flares to draw the artillery barrages away from Duivelsteijn. Both pilots escaped.

?This honor is special because it is being awarded to an American assigned to a Dutch unit who excelled in bravery in circumstances that can be compared to wartime,? de Grave said to those attending a ceremony that included several World War II veterans, all of whom were past recipients of Dutch decorations for bravery and valor. The Flying Cross is the second highest medal attainable in the RNLAF. The Queen of the Netherlands approved the award. Prior to Thomas, just eighty-eight foreigners, eleven of whom were Americans, have earned the medal. Thomas served with the 323rd from October 1998 to June 2001.

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/event..._events10.html

Dutch Award Flying Cross to USAF Pilot

US Air Force Maj. William Thomas received the Flying Cross from Dutch Minister of Defense Frank de Grave at a ceremony at The Hague, Netherlands, on Jan. 23.

It is the first time the medal has been awarded since World War II.

Thomas was assigned as an exchange pilot with the Netherlands air force during Operation Allied Force. During a mission on June 7, 1999, Thomas flew his F-16 into an anti-aircraft artillery zone and dispensed flares to draw artillery barrages toward his aircraft when he realized his flight lead, Dutch Maj. Marcel Duivelsteijn, had been temporarily blinded by the plume from a surface-to-air missile and was in trouble.

The ploy worked and both pilots escaped.

Thomas is currently the weapons and tactics chief with the 52nd Operations Support Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany.


In the interception role, KLu F-16s are equipped with AIM-9N, -9L, and -9M Sidewinder AAM's. AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles are used for longer-range interceptions. All F-16 units have Mk82/84 bombs and cluster weapons.

In 1997, the RNLAF awarded Hughes Missile Systems Company a contract for 36 AGM-65G missiles. During operations over former Yugoslavia, the RNLAF detachment in Italy leased AGM-65D missiles from the USAF, pending delivery of the AGM-65G.

311 Squadron has a tactical nuclear commitment, carried out with US supplied nuclear weapons.

The RNlAF has also acquired LGBs (GBU-24, GBU-10, GBU-12, CBU-87), and will acquire AIM-9X and JDAM.

F-16(R) and Recce Pods


RNLAF F-16B J-368 of 306sq, carrying a MARS reconnaissance pod on the centerline station, and an inert AIM-9 on the number 1 station (Photo by Roger Whitcomb)In 1983, F-16s from 306 sqn took over the Oldelft Orpheus camera pods which were previously carried by RF-104G Starfighters. The 306 sqn was selected since it was the RNlAF's designated recce unit. 18 F-16A's and 2 F-16B's were modified to accomodate the Orpheus pod on the fuselage centerline station, and fitted with radar altimeter and a control box for the Oldelft Orpheus pod. Modified F-16s are designated F-16A(R) and F-16B(R) respectively. The F-16A(R) was first flown on January 27th, 1983. The Orpheus pod contains a camera and IR line-scanner equipment.

In 2002, 306 sqn lost its recce role, and replaced 313 sqn as the F-16 Theatre Operational Conversion unit. The recce role is now assigned to three frontline squadrons (311 sqn, 315 sqn, and 322 sqn). Since all MLUs are technically capable of carrying a recce pod, no modifications are required. The RNlAF now uses the Medium Altitude Reconnaissance System (MARS). MARS uses Reccon Optical cameras, mounted in a standard Per Udsen Modular Recconaissance pod. The first operational flight with the MARS pod was carried out on June 6th, 2000, by two F-16AMs of 315 Squadron (#J-136 and #J-145).

Mid-life Update
All operational F-16A/B's operated by the Netherlands went through the Mid-Life Update (MLU) by 2003. A Multinational Operational Test and Evaluation center for the F-16A/B Mid-Life Update was established at Leeuwarden air base during 1997. As part of continuing defense cuts, the number of KLu F-16s to undergo MLU was reduced from 170 to 138 in mid-1993.

Other
The Dutch Air Force has purchased a number of Lantirn targeting systems, ans is also looking at the Joint Helmet-mounted Cueing System. The RNlAF has purchased 102 ALQ-131 pods for use on its F-16s. The ALQ-131 pods been upgrade to Block-2 configuration. In combination with the Lantirn targeting pod, 60 examples of the GEC/MARCONI navigation pods were acquired. However these are carried very rarely by Dutch F-16s.

Operational Service
Units
RNLAF F-16 units.

Training


Dutch F-16 MLU Block 20's on the ramp at NAS Cecil Field. The RNlAF F-16s took part in a four month deployment in early 2004 for FAC training. (AeroGroup photo) In 1989, the RNlAF decided to deploy 10 F-16s to Tucson, Arizona, where the 148th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron of the Arizona ANG used them for the training of new Dutch pilots. Training of Dutch pilots with the 148th was ceased in 1994.

In 2004, The Royal Netherlands Air Force deployed a number of F-16s to Melbourne, Fla., and later to NAF Cecil Field, for training. Operational support and organization during these deployments was carried out by Aerogroup, a civilian contractor.

Deployments
In 1992, right after the start of the wars starting the demise of Yugoslavia, the Dutch government decided to send F-16 fighters to Italy to support the multi-national UN force that was stationed in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Dutch wanted to do this in cooperation with the Belgian Air Force to cut back on operational costs. At first the Belgian government was very reluctant to do this, because of major defense restructures going on at the time. After four years and a lot of negotiations later the Belgian government decided to take a look at it.

Finally, in 1996, Belgium and The Netherlands signed a DATF (Deplayable Air Task Force) agreement. This made a joint deployment of fighters, but also of military transport aircraft, possible. Right after signing this agreement, the BAF joined the RNLAF at Villafranca AFB in Italy in the operation called 'Joint Falcon'. In a first stage the number of Dutch F-16s was limited to 8, but with the tension in the region rising, the total number rose to as much as 20 aircraft during operation 'Allied Force' in 1999. Just before the conflict started in March, the first MLU aircraft were sent over to Italy, which greatly expanded the possibilities of the DATF. During that conflict, a Dutch F-16 MLU shot down a Serbian Mig-29 fighter, scoring the first kill with an MLU updated F-16, but also the first Dutch kill since WWII. The operation finally ended in 2001.



RNLAF F-16AM #J-063 "MiG Killer", of 322nd sqn, leaving Fairford AB on July 24th, 1999. On March 24th, 1999, this aircraft downed a Serbian MiG-29 with an AIM-120 Amraam. (f4 aviation photo by Gary Parsons) In 2002 the Dutch government decided to send F-16s to Afghanistan in support of operation 'Enduring Freedom'. Their aircraft are stationed at Manas AFB in Kyrgyzstan together with aircraft from Denmark and Norway. Operations have been flown from October 2002 to October 2003. All EPAF countries, except for Belgium, have flown together in this operation.

The RNlAF returned to Manas AB with 6 F-16s on September 10th, 2004. They deployed there to provide assistance to the NATO-led ISAF force during the Afghan presidential elections. The aircraft returned to the Netherlands on November 19th, 2004 and thus ended this short deployment.

In succession of Belgium, Denmark and Norway, the Dutch sent 4 F-16 fighters for patrolling the air of the three Baltic republics - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. From April 1st till June 30th, 2005 they provided air cover over the Baltic states. Together with this deployment, the Dutch also sent 4 F-16s to Manas AB in support of the ISAF force. The deployment is for an initial period of six months, but could be extended. The four jets will be supplemented by the same number of the Belgian Air Force later in the year. They will once again form a DATF under joint command.

Combat
On March 24th, 1999, a Dutch F-16 (#J-063), part of the Dutch-Belgian DATF based at Amendola AFB in Southern Italy, caught sight of a Serbian Mig-29 appearing on its radar screen. The pilot did not hesitate one moment and fired an AIM-120 missile towards the target. After a few seconds a kill was confirmed and the first Dutch kill after WWII was a fact.

On April 4th, 1999, Dutch F-16s engaged ground targets with the AGM-65G, marking the first time this missile was fired in anger bij the RNlAF.
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