Apart from the 20th squadron with the blue Sioux as its emblem, and its oh so famous "Hercules" and now "Atlas", there is a second squadron resident at Melsbroek airbase which for some years has literally been losing its feathers. You will have understood it, it is the 21st Squadron with the emblem of the red Sioux, also commonly known as the "white tail squadron".
The profound redesign of this squadron began with the withdrawal of the two Falcon 20E from the aircraft manufacturer Dassault. It should, by the way, be noted that, sadly, neither of the two aircraft were preserved to be exhibited in a museum. And then, the Dassault Falcon 900B which lost its wings in July 2019, but for the one still in one of the hangars, it might be transferred to the "Dakota" Historical Centre (to be confirmed...).
In 2001, almost 20 years ago, the first Embraer ERJ-135 (CE-01) was presented to the press. But here we are, some twenty years later, the fleet of four aircraft (ERJ-135 & ERJ-145) was decommissioned and sold to a French company based in Saint-Brieuc called Amelia, part of Regourd Aviation Group. During the months of November and December 2020, the four aircraft left Melsbroek airbase in total secrecy, without any media coverage, causing an enormous disappointment to all those who worked on the airplane, which offered the Air Force an excellent availability rate, and allowing our various governments as well as members of the Royal Family to fly safely and "on time". Of course, the question arises as to why one unit or aircraft is praised, while others are left in the shadows without an ounce of thanks, with the nation and ultimately the taxpayer as witnesses.
Here is a summary table of the past and new life of the Fleet of this elegant aircraft of Brazilian origin:

Then, there is the Airbus A321-231 (CS-TRJ * c/n 1004) leased from the Portuguese company Hi Fly and which was chosen and put into service under Belgian Air Force colours (aka Air Component) to replace the Airbus A330-300 (CS-TMT), which had become too expensive to lease. True, but the replacement Airbus A321 may not have been the best choice tactically speaking, as it is an aircraft with a cargo hold and no longer a pallet and container system. It was not uncommon for certain troop transport missions, to require a C-130H to fly along, in order to be able to bring in the weapons and needed equipment. Was this a real saving? Doubts are allowed here and moreover the personnel affectionately (or sarcastically) nicknamed him "Dinky Toys".
Before serving under the Belgian military colours, it had already travelled all over the world. The aircraft was built in 1999 and passed through the hands of various owners such as Aero Lloyd (D-ALAK) in 1999, Onur Air (TC-OAL), leased twice to Saudi Arabia Airlines (TC-AOL), bought by the leasing company ILFC in February 2014 (EI-FDP), then acquired by Hi Fly in March 2014 to be leased to the Belgian Air Force.
In 2014 a lease contract was signed with the reference MRMP-A/P 13AP002 and the aircraft was officially put into service on May 20th, 2014, in the presence of the then Minister of Defence Mr Pieter De Crem. The contract covered a period of 3,5 years, i.e. until December 31st , 2017 with the possibility of renewal under certain conditions. This was done, since the A321 was operational until December 24th, 2020, the date of its last black, yellow and red mission. Finally, "Dinky Toys" left Belgium on January 2nd at 9:39 local time (instead of December 31st, 2020 at 17:00 local as it was planned...), the contract having definitively ended on December 31st, 2020.
At this stage the question obviously arises as to the future of the 21st squadron. To replace the Falcon 20E and 900B fleet, the authorities have opted to lease two Dassault Falcon 7X's with a transatlantic range. This is a dry lease contract concluded with the Luxaviation company (formerly Abelag) for 124 million euros and for a period of 12 years. The first Falcon 7X, built in 2007, arrived in April 2020 registered as OO-LUM (for Luchtmacht), while the second one, built in 2009, and arrived in August 2020 with OO-FAE registration (for Force Aérienne). The two aircraft taken on charge by the 15th Transport and Communication Wing, were declared operational in October 2020. Currently, the 21st squadron is limited to this pair of leased aircraft...
The missions that were assigned to the A321 will therefore be carried out with the greatest of ease by the new Airbus A400M "Atlas" or the Airbus A330 MRTT's of the multinational unit based in Eindhoven. However, the delays in the delivery of the A400M and A330MRTT aircraft, but also the delay in pilot certification due to the Covid-19 pandemic, have forced the Belgian Defence to look for alternative solutions.
The press service of the Ministry of Defence therefore issued a press release announcing that the Belgian Air Force would for a time be using charter flights provided by the airline TUI Fly Belgium to guarantee the continuity of operations and exercises (certain sources also speak about SN Brussels Airlines). The Belgian Defence will make use of charter flights in 2021 and 2022. The press release states that some twenty flights, taking place in January and February 2021, will be operated by TUI Fly. The first missions of this kind are already planned for January 18th ,2021, when the Defence will have to call upon two Boeing B-737's and one Boeing B-767.

After the Belgian military transport aviation, the combat aviation will also enter a profound transformation, with the arrival of the Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II, but that is another story…