First F-16 aircraft arrive in Ukraine – media
31 July 2024 22:19
Ukraine has received the first batch of F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies. This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to sources, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“The deadline for the delivery of the US-made warplanes was the end of this month, and it has been met, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. The number of aircraft is small, they said,” the report said.
It is not yet clear whether Ukrainian pilots, who have been training with their Western allies in recent months, will be able to immediately use these combat aircraft or whether the process will take longer.
The agency notes that even a small number of aircraft should help Kyiv. And over time, this potential will grow, allowing it to overcome Russia’s air superiority.
Ukrainian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Diana Davitian and spokespeople for the US Department of Defence and the National Security Council declined to comment to Bloomberg.
It should be added that there is no official confirmation from the Ukrainian authorities of the arrival of F-16s in Ukraine.
F-16s for Ukraine
The United States has led the Ukrainian Air Force Development Capability Coalition in the management of 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.
In June 2024, Dutch Defence Minister Keesa Ollongren said that the first F-16s from Western countries would arrive in Ukraine by the end of the summer.
In early July, it became known that the Netherlands would soon begin delivering the first of the 24 promised F-16s to Ukraine.
