There will be no maximum noise standards at Leeuwarden Air Force Base. This is what the Ministry of Defense told the research platform Pointer. Local residents have been complaining for years about noise pollution caused by training flights of F-35 fighter jets.

The F-35 has been flying from Leeuwarden since 2019 and makes much more noise than its predecessor, the F-16. Since then, people in Friesland have faced more inconvenience. For example, according to Pointer, an F-35 during landing makes as much noise as twenty F-16s combined. This is while the current year-on-year noise standards around air bases were a prerequisite for purchasing the F-35.

Last year, the scrutiny committee, with the support of local residents, general practitioners and audiologists, asked State Secretary Van der Maat to reduce the noise. 110 dB was mentioned as a target number; The RIVM, among others, considers this an unhealthy noise level. The absolute maximum was 115 dB. Loud noises can cause permanent hearing damage.

The Ministry of Defense now says that despite local residents’ concerns, no such cap will be imposed against the indicator: “Due to safety on the ground and in the air, it is not possible to standardize the maximum aircraft noise. Pilots must at all times have the freedom to choose the power required to ensure this safety.”

The Ministry of Defense says it will investigate whether it is possible to reduce the noise level at take-off and landing of the F-35 as much as possible.

The government announced in December that it wanted to fly more F-35s over the Netherlands, and also mentioned the city of Leeuwarden as a location. A decision on this should be made in the fall.