War

Greece is talking about giving Ukraine 32 used F-16s. But it may change its mind

Greece is considering transferring 32 old F-16 Block-30 fighter jets to Ukraine. This was reported by Al Jazeera, citing its own sources, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"

According to the report, the Greek Air Force is planning a large-scale modernisation of its fleet, including the upgrade of 82 F-16s to the Block-70 version and the purchase of 24 French Rafale jets.

In addition, the US Congress has approved Greece’s potential purchase of up to 40 fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets. In light of these plans, Greece is considering the possibility of transferring old F-16s to the United States for further modernisation and transfer to Ukraine.

However, a Greek air force spokesman expressed concern that such a transfer could create a significant “gap” in the country’s defence capability. According to him, the air force needs about 200 aircraft to operate effectively, which is difficult to achieve with newer and more expensive models. Therefore, the transfer of aircraft to Ukraine may “fail”.

Meanwhile, Romania has denied Russian propaganda claims that F-16s were allegedly flying from Romanian airfields over Odesa region. The Romanian Ministry of Defence called the allegations disinformation, stressing that Romanian F-16s fly missions exclusively in national airspace.

What is known about F-16s for Ukraine

The United States led the Ukrainian Air Force Development Capability Coalition in operating F-16 multi-role fighters. The Netherlands and Denmark became co-chairs.

In August last year, Denmark and the Netherlands pledged to provide Ukraine with 61 F-16s. In order for the delivery to begin, Ukrainian pilots and maintenance personnel must be trained and Ukraine must prepare the infrastructure.

on 20 August 2023, after talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would receive a total of 42 US F-16 fighter jets.

The day before, Zelenskyy announced that the Netherlands had begun preparations to hand over the first 18 F-16 multi-role fighters to Ukraine.

Although the first aircraft may arrive as early as this year, not all partners are acting so quickly. For example, Belgium plans to deliver most of the aircraft in 2025. As reported by , the first group of Ukrainian pilots has now completed their F-16 training in the US and headed to Europe.

According to the latest information, Ukraine is to receive 6 F-16s in the summer and up to 20 aircraft by the end of the year.

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