Canada Allocates New Military Aid Package to Ukraine
The Government of Canada has allocated a new financial package of military assistance to Ukraine, which will be directed to the UDCG Air Force Capability Coalition. This is reported on the official website of the Canadian government. The decision to allocate a new financial package was announced by the Minister of Defense of Canada at the 19th meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's defense.
During this meeting, Minister Blair announced that Canada will make a new contribution of £60 million to the UDCG Air Force Capability Coalition.
F-16AM fighter jet from the 1st Squadron of the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Photo from the open sources
This donation will support the setup of a sustainable F-16 fighter aircraft capability in Ukraine, as well as the purchase, repair, and maintenance of the relevant equipment. Specifically, the funds will help source vitally needed F-16 supplies and equipment such as spare parts, weapons stations, and avionics, as well as maintenance.
This contribution builds on Canada's previously-announced support for the F-16 Training Coalition for Ukraine. Last month, Minister Blair announced that Canada had signed a contract with Top Aces Inc., a Montreal-based company that specializes in training military and civilian pilots.
An F-16 fighter of the private company Top Aces, which was previously in the service of the Israeli Air Force.
2023. USA. Photo credits: JDH Images
This support is estimated at approximately CA£15 million.
The training will begin in February 2024 and last until 2025. It is worth noting that Ukraine has already worked with Top Aces. In 2021, the Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan plane delivered fighter jets F-16 to the private company Top Aces.
As Militarnyi previously reported, the Netherlands will give Ukraine an additional six F-16 fighter jets that were withdrawn from the contract for the sale to Draken.
The government held talks with Draken International, during which both parties concluded that the sale and delivery of six contracted F-16 to the company would not take place in the short term.