Belgium plans to deliver F-16 to Ukraine already this year

The state-supplied fighter jets will not be financed from Belgian taxpayers’ money, but with interest from frozen Russian assets, the prime minister clarified.

By mid-summer, 12 Ukrainian pilots are expected to be ready to fly combat missions with F-16 fighter jets after training in Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States.

At the same time, by the time they return to the front line, Ukraine will receive only six such planes out of about 45 promised by European allies, The New York Times reported in mid-March.

The newspaper said the delay is related to the lengthy process of training Ukrainian pilots: compared to standard F-16 training, Ukrainian pilots are being trained at “lightning speed”, but not as quickly as Ukraine and its allies had hoped.

In addition, it took Washington a long time to agree to send fighter jets to Kyiv. US President Joe Biden’s administration has stressed that the F-16 is unlikely to change the situation on the front line, as maintenance training could take years.

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Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium have pledged to send about 45 fighter jets to Ukraine, enough for three small squadrons. Denmark will deliver the first six F-16s to Kyiv in late spring. The Netherlands and Norway have not yet decided on delivery dates.

Training of Ukrainian pilots began in August 2023 at the Skridstrup Air Base in southern Denmark, where approximately 50 technicians are additionally trained to perform aircraft maintenance and repair, as well as to work with weapons packages.

Technician training could cause additional delays, The New York Times noted,” because it takes eight to 14 people to maintain one F-16. Until there are enough technicians to maintain the fighters, Western contractors will have to escort the planes to Ukraine.

In addition, the need to repair aging and war-damaged runways in Ukraine could further delay the delivery of aircraft.

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