The authorities of the Netherlands have issued permission to export 24 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The first plane should be sent "in the near future."
This was stated by the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kaisa Ollongren, in a letter to the House of Representatives of the countryʼs parliament.
In the letter Ollongren does not specify when the first delivery will be, how many planes will be sent at once and when they will be in Ukraine. Ollongren promised that the House of Representatives would be kept confidential about the delivery of fighter jets for security purposes.
Ukrainian military pilots and technicians undergo training in the USA, Britain, France, Denmark and Romania. It is expected that Ukraine will have the first six F-16 fighters and 12 trained pilots already in the summer of 2024.
- Ukraine expects more than 70 American F-16 fighters from the Netherlands ( 42 vehicles, some of which are training), Denmark ( 19 units ), Norway (the number has not been announced) and Belgium (promised to transfer 30 F-16 fighters by 2028).
- Some of the F-16 supplier countries ( the Netherlands and Denmark ) have already allowed Ukraine to use their F-16 fighters to attack targets on the territory of Russia.