"new generation", and the successor of the F-16s also needed the capability of carrying B61 nuclear warheads, which are supposedly stored at Kleine Brogel. Minister of Defence Steven Vandeput contradicted this and stated that no official choice would be made until 2018 and that all options were still on the table. The Sea King helicopters were retired in March 2019 after 43 years of service. The Alpha Jet was also retired in December 2019 and sold to Top Aces in July 2020. Future pilot training is to be conducted in the US at the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program based at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. In addition, the three Alouette III helicopters flown for the Belgian Navy were phased out in 2021 after 50 years of operational service. On 25 October 2018, Belgium officially selected the offer for 34 F-35As to replace the current fleet of around 53 F-16s. In the accompanied 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. In 2018 the Belgian Government approved the negotiations to acquire two General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian MALE drones which are planned to be operational from 2023, replacing the IAI Hunter drones phased out since early 2021. In 2018 two Hercules aircraft were retired. In 2019 and 2020 additional aircraft were retired prior to the transition to the Airbus A400M starting in 2020. The remaining Hercules will be phased out; two in 2021 and the last aircraft were withdrawn from Operational Service as per December 17. 2021 after 50 years for service to the Belgian Air Force. Belgium contributes one Airbus A330 MRTT tanker aircraft as part of the NATO MRTT Squadron based at Eindhoven Air Base, replacing the leased Airbus 321 which was phased out in 2020 and returned to the lessor. In June 2020, it was deemed that the NH90 was too expensive and too few in numbers to be operated effectively, plans are now to withdraw the 4 TTH-versions by 2024 and focus solely on the NFH's SAR and naval operations