Kateryna Girnyk15:23, 10.07.24
Deliveries are planned to begin this year.
Norway plans to transfer six F-16 fighters to Ukraine. As Reuters writes , this was reported by the newspaper Verdens Gang with reference to the statement of the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Har Støre at the NATO summit in Washington.
According to the minister’s statement, deliveries are planned to begin in 2024.
UNIAN 2024
First F-16 Jet Fighters on Their Way to Ukraine, U.S. and Allies Say
WASHINGTON—The first of more than 60 American-made F-16 jet fighters are on their way to Ukraine and will be flying later this summer, the U.S., Dutch and Danish governments said Wednesday.
The delivery of the F-16s highlights how the U.S. and its allies have steadily moved toward providing more advanced weapons to Ukraine as its war with Russia has continued. Shortly after the conflict began in March 2022, the U.S. effectively blocked Poland from providing older Soviet-made warplanes to Ukraine over concerns of Russian escalation.
The announcement on the second day of the NATO summit in Washington underscored the push by the 32-member alliance to publicize the steps it is taking to beef up Ukraine’s military. It also illustrates the challenges Kyiv’s Western backers have faced in training enough Ukrainian pilots, delivering the planes and arming them with weapons that can bolster Ukraine’s defenses.
“Those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself from the Russian aggression,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a NATO event Wednesday.
The Danish and Dutch governments have begun transferring the aircraft to Kyiv, according to a statement by President Biden, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. The Dutch have promised an initial batch of 24 warplanes, while Denmark has said it would send 19.
“The transfer process for these F-16s is now under way,” according to the statement, which cited security concerns for not releasing more information.
Belgium and Norway have also promised to provide F-16s to Ukraine, and those aircraft will arrive later.
The disclosure of the first deliveries come two days after the largest Russian missile attack on Ukraine in months, a strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv that killed at least 33 and wounded more than 100 and was likely timed as a signal from Putin to the NATO summit, Ukrainian officials said.
President Biden announced in March 2023 that the U.S. would support an effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly Western jet fighters, including F-16s. Until then, the U.S. had said that providing Ukraine with F-16s would be too costly and require extensive training.
Ukrainian officials say the combat planes will help Kyiv knock down Russian missiles targeting Ukrainian cities, and help Kyiv’s forces push back Moscow’s forces on the front lines. They can also be equipped with air-to-air missiles capable of hitting targets inside Russia—if the jets can elude Russian air defenses near the border.
It isn’t yet clear if Ukraine will receive such missiles in sufficient numbers to significantly bolster its defenses. Many NATO countries are hesitant to part with AIM-120 medium air-to-air missiles and other advanced weaponry. There is concern among the allies that the demand from Kyiv could begin to deplete NATO countries’ stocks of the weapons.
It is also possible the countries donating missiles and aircraft will restrict Ukraine from using them to strike into Russian territory. While Denmark and the Netherlands haven’t said they would put restrictions on Kyiv’s use of their F-16s, the U.S. has limited how far Ukraine can shoot U.S.-made ground-to-ground missiles into Russia.
The availability of trained pilot and maintenance personnel could also limit Ukraine’s ability to operate the advanced jets. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said last week that there are more than a dozen pilots training in both Denmark and the U.S. But the U.S. and other countries have refused to say how many pilots and maintainers have completed training.
The announcement comes on the heels of Biden’s pledge Tuesday that the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy will provide Ukraine with additional air defenses, which are critical for defending Ukrainian cities that have been under attack by Russian forces.
[From The Wall Street Journal, via MSN]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/first-f-16-jet-fighters-on-their-way-to-ukraine-u-s-and-allies-say/ar-BB1pJTjD
Now we just need to wait, hope and pray that Biden will finally allow Ukraine to train the pilots for these F16s.