In the late 1970s, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands began searching for a new fighter jet to replace their outdated aircraft. These countries soon signed an agreement with the United States to produce the F-16A in Europe. This reduced procurement costs and enabled the aircraft to be produced at European facilities. In May 1979, the Royal Netherlands Air Force selected the F-16 Fighting Falcon to replace the F-104G Starfighter and the Northrop NF-5. Fokker was responsible for assembly of the aircraft for the Netherlands. The first F-16As and F-16Bs were delivered to Leeuwarden Air Base on June 6, 1979. The total order was for 213 aircraft, and deliveries were completed by February 1992.

The first aircraft belonged to the Block 1 and Block 5 series. F-16A Block 5 fighters began arriving at the 322nd and 323rd squadrons in 1980. In the 1990s, the Dutch F-16s underwent the Mid-Life Update (MLU) program, which provided them with improved avionics, compatibility with modern armaments, and an extension of their service life.

The Dutch F-16A was introduced as a reward for the 2026 "Workhorse" event and is placed in the French aviation research tree. The F-16A Block 5 has all the typical flight characteristics of the series, including excellent speed and maneuverability; a variety of weapons, such as the AIM-9L for air targets and the AGM-65B for ground targets; and ease of handling. However, it has mediocre maneuverability at high speeds and cannot fight at medium range due to the absence of medium-range air-to-air missiles.