The Netherlands will transfer additional F-16s
5 February, 2024 An F-16AM Fighting Falcon of the Royal Netherlands Air Force at Leeuwarden Air Base, April 2022. Photo credits: R. Skywalker
The Netherlands will give Ukraine an additional six F-16 fighter jets that were withdrawn from the contract for the sale to Draken. The Dutch Ministry of Defense reported on this. 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.
Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren confirmed this information on her social media. "The Dutch Ministry of Defense is preparing to deliver 6 more F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The total number is equal to previously promised 24 F-16s," Ollongren said.
That is, out of 42 promised fighter jets, 24 will be transferred to Ukraine, and remaining 18 will go to a F-16 training center in Romania, where they will be used to train Ukrainian pilots.
F-16BM of the Netherlands Air Force in Romania. Photo by Kajsa Ollongren
It is worth noting that pilots will be trained by the same company, Draken International, with which the sale agreement was suspended. In total, Ukraine is currently planning to receive dozens of fighter jets from its allies.
In particular, 24 fighter jets from the Netherlands and 19 from Denmark. Norway and Belgium are also expected to deliver an unknown quantity. However, the latter will start deliveries no earlier than 2025, which will directly depend on the pace of F-35 deliveries.
The emergence of fighter jets in Ukraine
Ukrainian pilots, technicians, and other personnel have been trained abroad to operate these fighter jets for a long time.
However, one of the main conditions for the transfer is still the readiness of the aviation infrastructure in Ukraine. To address technical issues, in November, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, announced the creation of a structure to comprehensively ensure the continuous integration of the F-16 multi-role fighter jets. The program is expected to have two stages of deployment: "fast track", designed until the end of 2024, and scaling up.
The main areas of work will be:
- support and development of airfield infrastructure (airbases);
- comprehensive protection of airfield infrastructure, including air defense system;
- selection and training of flight crews and other aviation personnel;
- support of aircraft life cycle and logistics support;
- international communication and other legal, financial, security and administrative functions.
As a reminder, in addition to developing the infrastructure for new aircraft, Ukrainian Defense Ministry representatives are already working with the United States to prepare and modernize the F-16 to meet the requirements of the modern battlefield.