LONDON – Analysis of the first noise trials in the Netherlands with the F-35Joint Strike Fighter has found that the difference in noise levels between the F-35 and F-16 is perceived to be small.
The first trials took place May 26 following the May 23 arrival of two F-35As at Leeuwarden air base after the first eastbound transatlantic crossing by the new fighter. The aircraft has widely been reported to be louder than early and later models of the F-16 with more powerful engines. But the F-35’s sound characteristics are different.
According to the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) and the Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR), which monitored the results of the online questionnaire in real-time as the sorties were flown, people living near Leeuwarden found that the noise difference between the two types tended to be minor. Locals suggested that the F-35 is less noisy than the high-pitch whine produced by the F-16.
The NLR and the RNLAF say this data is backed up by noise measuring equipment located near the base which measured peaks of around 109 dB for the F-35 and around 112 dB for the F-16. The F-35s were flown clean—with no external weapons or tanks—in what the RNLAF describes as a “training configuration commonly used for the Netherlands.”
As part of the first trials, the air force performed a series of 28 passes, 14 with the F-35 and 14 with the F-16. Seven passes took place in the morning and seven in the evening, with and without reheat. Residents were then asked online to answer a series of questions about how they perceived the noise.
Around 1,500 households took part in the surveys near Leeuwarden and Volkel, the two Dutch air bases that will receive the F-35. The air force says the households were well distributed to give an impression of the noise impact around the bases.
As well as testing noise perception, the deployment will also confirm the compatibility of the F-35 with the hardened aircraft shelters on Dutch airfields. Later, the F-35 will make its European debut with an appearance at the RNLAF’s Open Dagen airshow at Leeuwarden June 10-11.
The Netherlands currently has four pilots and 27 maintainers, and its cadre will grow substantially over the next three years as the Netherlands prepares for 37 aircraft to be permanently based, starting with Leeuwarden in 2019 and Volkel Air Base in 2021.