Denmark postpones delivery of first six F-16s to Ukraine until second quarter of 2024
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The delivery of the first six Danish F-16 jets to Ukraine, which was expected to take place around the end of 2023, has been postponed until the second quarter of 2024, Danish newspaper Berlingske reported on Jan. 6, citing the country's Defense Ministry.
Some of the necessary conditions for the transfer of the F-16s, including pilot training, have not yet been met, the Ministry said, noting that the training schedule depends on several factors, including weather conditions.
The work of the international air force coalition is underway to ensure the necessary infrastructure, material and technical base at Ukrainian airfields, as well as the training of mechanics and other ground personnel, he added.
The delivery terms for eight more Danish F-16s previously scheduled for 2024 and five more in 2025, remain unknown at this time.
Denmark is the only country to have announced exact delivery dates for the F-16s, while Norway and Belgium have not publicly disclosed details of their planned transfers.
Belgium will send two two-seater F-16Bs to Denmark and about fifty instructors to train Ukrainian pilots between March and September, RTBF reported on Jan. 4, citing the country’s Defense Ministry.
Two F-16 fighter jets donated by Norway for training Ukrainian pilots had arrived in Denmark, according to reports on Jan. 5.
The training mission, which will also include training Ukrainian technicians and mission planners, is part of the F-16 coalition of thirteen countries, including Belgium, led by Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States. Its goal is to provide the Ukrainian Air Force with this type of fighter jet and to train personnel capable of using these aircraft to combat Russian invasion.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Dec. 22 that the Netherlands had begun preparations to hand over the first 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
In August, the Netherlands and Denmark promised to provide Ukraine with 61 aircraft — 42 and 19, respectively. Later, Norway confirmed its intention to supply F-16s. Belgium will also give Ukraine F-16s starting in 2025.
“Ukraine's allies are collaborating to increase the number of F-16 fighter jets provided to Ukraine”, announced Ukraine's Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba during a joint press conference with Dutch counterpart Hanke Bruins Slot in Kyiv on December 5.
He previously stated that Ukraine could receive the first F-16s in the first half of 2024.
Ukrainian pilots in Denmark are already conducting flights with instructors on F-16 fighter jets, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuri Ihnat, said during a briefing on Nov. 21.
Western F-16 fighters may be "less helpful" next year as Russia has improved its weapons and air defense system, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with UK news magazine The Economist.
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