The Belgian Minister of Defence, Ludivine Dedonder, has announced that Belgium intends to transfer all of its remaining 53 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. This commitment was reported by the publication Le Vif on Friday, May 8th.
According to the Minister, the deliveries of these fighter jets are scheduled to span until 2029. Ukraine is expected to receive the first seven F-16s this year. However, it’s important to note that four of these initial aircraft will be designated for pilot training and will not be combat-ready.
Despite previous government assurances about commencing deliveries in 2024, Belgium has acknowledged that Ukraine has not yet received any F-16s from Brussels.
The article attributes these delays to issues with the supply of the American F-35 Lightning II aircraft, which Belgium procured to replace its aging F-16 fleet.
Previously, on April 13th, Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov stated that Spain and Belgium would each allocate one billion euros in military aid to Ukraine in 2026. He indicated that discussions with the defence ministers of these countries had covered the supply of air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and long-range artillery pieces to Ukraine.