Belgium plans to provide Ukraine with 30 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets. According to Belgian Foreign Minister Hajj Lahabib, Ukraine will receive these planes by 2028, and the first batch will arrive by the end of 2024. About this he writes RTL.
Ukraine is to receive more than 60 F-16 aircraft, which will be provided not only by Belgium, but also by Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands. The first planes are expected to arrive in Ukraine in June-July. But not everything is so good. Especially with the training of pilots and maintenance personnel for these aircraft. As everyone already knows, the Ukrainian army, especially the Armed Forces, is very deeply stuck in total Sovietism. Unfortunately, this sovietness was also present in the Air Force, especially in the training of military pilots. After Ukraine began to move towards the transition to the F-16, Ukrainian pilots and technicians went to Western countries for retraining. And here it turned out that people simply did not know English at the level that is necessary and which is the basis for any training in the West and the basis for pilots around the world. Some pilots were certainly better trained, but this is not a merit of Ukraine, but an individual initiative of the pilots. Ukrainian universities that trained military pilots still teach using Soviet methods. Therefore, in the summer of 2024, a maximum of 6 aircraft are expected to have pilots. Read about it in the article: Ukraine may receive the first F-16s in July, but the number of aircraft is limited.
Our partners have accelerated their preparations somewhat, but it is still not the level we need. The bulk of the aircraft will arrive in Ukraine only in 2025-2026. Also, let’s not forget that Ukraine has to defend itself from the occupying Russian troops every day, and cannot send all available combat pilots to the West for retraining.
About F-16 Fighting Falcon
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a fourth-generation multi-role fighter developed by the American company General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin). The aircraft made its first flight in 1974 and has since become one of the most widely used and successful fighter jets in the world. The F-16 is highly maneuverable, capable of reaching speeds of over 2000 km/h and performing a wide range of combat missions, including air combat, ground strikes and reconnaissance. Equipped with modern radars and fire control systems, it can carry a variety of weapons: air-to-air, air-to-ground missiles, bombs and guided bombs. Today, the F-16 is in service with more than 25 countries.
