Melike Pala
28 May 2026•Update: 28 May 2026
Belgium inaugurated its first production line for horizontal tail sections of the F-35A fighter jet on Thursday at the Sonaca facility in Gosselies, becoming part of the global supply chain for the fifth-generation aircraft, according to news portal Sudinfo.
The announcement was made during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Bart De Wever, Defense Minister Theo Francken, Walloon Minister-President Adrien Dolimont and Walloon Minister of Economy Pierre-Yves Jeholet, alongside US Ambassador Bill White.
The new fully digitalized facility, located at the Gosselies site of aerospace manufacturer Sonaca, produced its first horizontal stabilizer for the F-35A, which will replace Belgium's aging F-16 fleet.
Officials said the program represents more than €400 million ($466 million) in projected economic benefits and is expected to create 150 skilled jobs by 2035.
The horizontal tail section, a key flight-control component located at the rear of the aircraft, plays a critical role in stabilizing the F-35 and controlling pitch, while also supporting stealth performance requirements.
Under the industrial consortium named BeLightning, production is distributed across multiple Belgian aerospace companies.
Final assembly of the tail sections takes place at Sonaca in Gosselies before shipment to BAE Systems and onward integration into final F-35 production lines in Italy and the US.
The investment in the program is estimated at €192 million, with production planned for around 400 aircraft, corresponding to 800 tail assemblies, at a projected rate of approximately 30 aircraft per year.
Defending the program's strategic relevance, De Wever said the project demonstrates Belgium's role not only as a customer but also as an industrial partner within NATO defense production chains.
"We cannot depend on strategic rivals for technologies that underpin our security. But within an alliance, cooperation is a strength," he said.
Francken highlighted the European dimension of the F-35 supply network, citing multinational production contributions across several NATO countries.
"What is happening here is the Europeanization of the F-35 in practice,” he said. “Belgian tail assemblies, German fuselage sections, Finnish forward sections, and Italian assembly," he added, asserting that it was "not a typical purchase from an American supplier."
