The Dutch government says it will sign a contract in April 2015 for an initial eight Lockheed Martin F-35s, the defence publication, Janes, is reporting.
In total the Netherlands is planning to buy 37 F-35s, with the first of the eight initial aircraft expected to enter service in 2019, Janes wrote in its report. Full operational capability (FOC) is expected to be attained in 2024 with all aircraft delivered, it added.
The stated total budget is 4.5 billion Euros or $5.6 billion U.S.
Full article from Janes is here:
http://www.janes.com/article/47093/netherlands-commits-to-first-operational-f-35s
