Air-to-air with the 2nd Tactical Wing

 

On June 16th, 2022 the Belgian aviation photographer Kris Christiaens got the unique opportunity to photograph two specially painted F-16 fighter jets from the Florennes Air Base during an air-to-air photoshoot. Along with several other photographers, I had the opportunity to photograph the two special painted fighter jets from an Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the Belgian Air Force during a mission over the southern part of Belgium. While one of the two F-16 fighter jets (FA-57) got a special tail paint for the 105th anniversary of the 1st Squadron ‘Stingers’, the other fighter jet (FA-86) got a special tail paint for the 80th anniversary of the 350th Squadron which was celebrated in 2021. Both fighter squadrons are operational at the Florennes Air Base in the southern part of Belgium and are part of the 2nd Tactical Wing. During this unique photoshoot, both fighters flew behind the Airbus A400M so that the photographers could photograph both jets extensively while they performed numerous maneuvers over the region of the Florennes Air Base. The pilot aboard the F-16 with the 105th anniversary of the 1st Squadron was the former Belgian Air Force demo pilot Stefan “Vador” Darte.

 

The author would like to thank the Florennes Air Base, the IPR department of the Belgian Air Force and the 15th Wing Air Transport for this fantastic photo shoot! 

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Text & photos: Kris Christiaens

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