The first F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters donated to Ukraine are expected to arrive in the country in June this year. The information comes from the Lithuanian Defense Minister, Arvydas Anusauskas, and was confirmed by another senior European official to the magazine Foreign Policy during the Security Conference in Munich, , last weekend
“I think in June we will see them in Ukraine”, the minister said, citing a timeline that was confirmed by another European official. Also according to the magazine, the Ukrainian government expects 12 pilots to be trained on fighters by the end of the US fiscal year. This is the most recent schedule on the delivery of F-16s to the UAF, which has been asking for the transfer of fighters since the beginning of the conflict with Russia, which will complete two years this month, still without a complete prospect for an end.
Ukraine, however, neither confirms nor denies the information. “I can only confirm that the action plan is being implemented and our partners are ready to deliver the planes to Ukraine”, said the Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on television. “Of course, it’s not just about the transfer, but also about continuing to maintain the aircraft, financing this process and modernizing the F-16.”
Ihnat also said that the Air Force has adapted its infrastructure to receive the new planes, which are being donated by a coalition of Western countries. According to the military, the ideal would be to store the aircraft in underground facilities “like Iran does”, said Ihnat in reference to a underground air base presented by Iran early last year. He also notes that the bases will need to receive reinforcements to defend themselves from missiles and drones.
In July 2023, The Netherlands and Denmark took the first step towards forming the F-16 Coalition for Ukraine, with nine additional partner countries. This formation earned the coalition the nickname “Ocean's 11” by then Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, in reference to the film Eleven men and a secret.
Today, the group is made up of 13 countries that have committed to, mainly, training Ukrainian pilots and mechanics to operate the 61 F-16 fighters, which will be donated to the country by Denmark and the Netherlands. Norway has also committed to sending the jets, although it has not confirmed numbers yet.
In addition to the F-16s, the Netherlands is still asking for other planes, such as the F/A-18 Hornet, the French Mirage 2000 and the freighter C-17 Globemaster III, as well as Apache attack helicopters.
