part of military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. On 11 October 2018 a Belgian Air Force F-16 caught fire during maintenance works at Florennes Air Base. The fire, reportedly caused by the accidental firing of a cannon, completely destroyed that aircraft. A second F-16 was also damaged. On 25 October 2018, Belgium officially selected the offer for 34 F-35As to replace the current fleet of around 54 F-16s. In the accompanying news conference, government officials stated that the decision to select the F-35 over the Eurofighter Typhoon came down to the price, and later stated that "The offer from the Americans was the best in all our seven valuation criteria". The total purchasing price for the aircraft and its support until 2030 totaled €4 billion, €600 million cheaper than the initially budgeted €4.6 billion. First deliveries are scheduled to take place in 2023. On 19 September 2019, a Belgian Air Force F-16 crashed in France. In 2021 the STAR program (Strategic Defense Review) was announced by the Belgian Ministry of Defense which plans for the upgrade of the existing 4 NFH90 helicopters used by the Belgian Navy with sensors & weapons, the replacement of the Augusta A109 helicopters by a ~15 Light Utility Helicopter (EC145 is a candidate) and the acquisition of 4 heavy transport helicopters (CH47F is a candidate) to replace the 4 TTH90's whereby closer cooperation with the Netherlands Air Force is considered.In 2021 the STAR program (Strategic Defense Review) was announced by the Belgian Ministry of Defense which plans for the upgrade of the existing 4 NFH90 helicopters used by the Belgian Navy with sensors & weapons, the replacement of the Augusta A109 helicopters by a ~15 Light Utility Helicopter (EC145 is a candidate) and the acquisition of 4 heavy transport helicopters (CH47F is a candidate) to replace the 4 TTH90's whereby closer cooperation with the Netherlands Air Force is considered Joint air policing On 4 March 2015, the Belgian and Dutch ministers of defence, along with the ambassador of Luxembourg to the Netherlands, signed an agreement on joint air policing. Starting mid-2017, the Belgian Air Component and the Royal Netherlands Air Force will take turns keeping two F-16s on quick reaction alert (QRA) defending the airspace of all three Benelux countries. The agreement could allow the Belgian minister of defence to order a Dutch aircraft to use lethal force over Belgian