Belgium confirms delivery of F-16 to Ukraine in 2025
5 December, 2023 F-16AM fighter jet from the 1st Squadron of the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Photo from the open sources The Ministry of Defense of Belgium has confirmed its intention to provide Ukraine with the first F-16 fighter jets in 2025.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on this. During the meeting between Rustem Umierov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine, and Ludivine Dedonder, Minister of Defense of Belgium, the issues of training Ukrainian pilots and the transfer of F-16 fighter jets were discussed. Dedonder confirmed the country's intention to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in 2025 after the F-35As ordered by Belgium would start entering service with the Belgian Air Component.
An F-16AM fighter jet of the Belgian Air Force.
Photo from the network
In addition, instructors from the Belgian Air Component will participate in the training and retraining of Ukrainian pilots currently stationed at the training center at the Romanian Fetesti Air Base, 150 kilometers east of Bucharest. Another issue to be addressed is the supply of spare parts and weapons needed to operate the F-16AM/BM fighter jets. For the effective use of the aircraft and maintenance of the combat-ready fleet, a supply chain for ammunition, spare parts, and technical equipment for the F-16s must be established.
The Belgian Air Component has 52 F-16 fighter jets distributed between two squadrons, of which 44 are single-seat F-16AMs and 8 are two-seat F-16BMs. Belgium became one of the first four European customers of the F-16s in February 1978. In total, the country placed an order for 160 fighter jets to be assembled at the local SABCA plant.
The fighter jet was adopted by the then-Belgian Air Force in January 1979. During its operation, the aircraft has been modernized several times, and the existing fleet of these aircraft in the Belgian Air Component consists exclusively of Block 20 upgraded to MLU standard.
F-16BM fighter jet of the Belgian Air Component. Photo from the network
The transfer of Belgian F-16AM/BM fighter jets will increase the total fleet of F-16s that Ukraine will receive from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway.
Currently, some F-16s of the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Air Force are involved in training Ukrainian and Romanian pilots. Militarnyi previously reported that Ukraine was looking for opportunities to modernize the F-16 fighter jets planned for transfer. MP Oleksandra Ustinova noted that Ukrainian representatives, including the Ministry of Defense, are actively discussing with international partners the modernization of fighter jets planned for transfer.
"We are negotiating the modernization of the F-16s that we were promised to receive.
Because we need more powerful radars and better missiles for them.
It makes no sense to just give us an aircraft with a 60-kilometer radar, like MiGs have," the MP shared.