The governments of Denmark and the Netherlands are in the process of transferring US-made F-16s to Ukraine with US support.
Such long-awaited F-16 fighters are on their way to Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands will fly into Ukrainian airspace this summer. Moreover, the number of fighters pledged by the West continues to increase.
The first to swallow
“We, the co-leaders of the Ukrainian Air Force Capability Coalition, are working to provide Ukraine with F-16 combat fighters. The governments of Denmark and the Netherlands are in the process of transferring US-made F-16s to Ukraine with US support. The process of transferring these F-16s is now underway, and Ukraine will begin operating F-16s this summer,” said the leaders of the United States, the Netherlands and Denmark.
They noted that they could not provide additional information at this time due to operational security reasons.
“We are grateful to Belgium and Norway for their commitment to provide additional aircraft, and to the other members of the Air Force Capability Coalition for their support. We are committed to further strengthening Ukraine’s air potential, which will include of squadrons of modern multi-role fourth generation F-16 aircraft,” the statement said.
Also, Joe Biden, Dick Schoof and Mette Frederiksen said the coalition aims to help support aircraft and weapons and support ongoing pilot training to improve operational efficiency.
“We will continue to jointly coordinate actions in support of Ukraine’s ability to defend itself from Russian aggression,” the statement said.
There will be more
Norway will transfer six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stere said that F-16 deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2024. The Prime Minister first announced that Oslo would transfer the F-16s to Kyiv in August last year, but then he did not say exactly how many aircraft will be transferred.
It is known that Denmark will send 19 aircraft, the Netherlands has promised 24, and Belgium recently announced that it will provide Kyiv with 30 aircraft.
It is worth noting that Norway is retiring F-16 combat aircraft in 2021 due to the gradual introduction of new F-35s into service.
How much do you need?
According to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s estimates, Ukraine needs at least 128 F-16 fighters to effectively counter Russia in airspace.
“The problem with the F-16 is the quantity and timing of deliveries. But let’s be honest. Russia uses about 300 aircraft against Ukraine every day. We are talking about 10-20 fighters. Even we have 50, that’s not enough. We are defending ourselves and we need 128 fighters,” Zelensky said.
He emphasized that Ukraine’s allies have this information.
“Until we have 128 aircraft, we will not be able to match Russia in the air, it will be difficult,” added the president.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.