The first F-16 fighters from NATO allies has already arrived in Ukraine.
This is reported by Bloomberg with reference to anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
According to the publicationʼs interlocutors, a "small number" of American-made F-16 military aircraft arrived in Ukraine. However, the deadline for handing them over to Ukraine was the end of this month, and the Allies met it.
It is unclear whether Ukrainian pilots will be able to use the F-16 immediately, or whether this process will take more time.
Combat planes have been reaching Ukraine for more than a year. This journey was complicated by delays, questions about spare parts and the language barrier between the Ukrainian pilots and their foreign instructors. Planners are also concerned that Ukraine does not have enough airstrips and that those that do exist are vulnerable to Russian attacks.
- In total, four countries agreed to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine: the Netherlands ( 42 aircraft, some of them training ), Denmark ( 19 units ), Belgium ( 30 F-16 fighters by 2028 ) and Norway, which announced the transfer on July 10, 2024 6 F-16 aircraft. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the same day that the first F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands are "already on their way" to Ukraine.
- Some of the F-16 fighter jets transferred to Ukraine by Western partners will be kept at foreign air bases so that they do not become a target for Russian troops.
- On July 9, 2024, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is very much waiting for F-16 fighters, but the number of these aircraft announced by the allies is not enough. At least 128 F-16s are needed to match the Russians, who use 300 aircraft every day in the war.
- Three days ago, on July 28, The Washington Post wrote that F-16s will arrive in Ukraine "in a few weeks" and are unlikely to be able to immediately change the situation on the battlefield. The planes are likely to be used to shoot down missiles, drones and planes. However, not for strikes on the ground forces of the Russian Federation and other objects near the front, since Kyiv will receive few planes — and Russia has many air defense assets that can shoot them down. It is not officially announced how many aircraft Ukraine will receive in 2024, but it will be no more than one squadron — that is, about 20 units. In addition, only six pilots will complete their training this summer, as the program has a limited number of seats.