Ukraine has not yet received any of the 30 F-16 fighter jets promised by Belgium. The Ministry of Defense explains that the delivery date for the aircraft has not been precisely approved.
Points of attention
- Belgium has not delivered any of the 30 promised F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, citing the need to meet its own operational needs first.
- The delay in the delivery is related to Belgium's reception of new F-35s, pushing back the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine to potentially 2029.
- Contrary to promises made in 2024, with no fixed deadline, Ukraine is still awaiting the initial batch of F-16 fighter jets from Belgium.
Ukraine did not receive F-16 fighters from Belgium
Two years ago, Belgium promised to deliver 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The first four aircraft were supposed to arrive in 2024, but Ukraine has not yet received any.
By the end of the year, our country will transfer four F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, promised then-Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in 2024.
These were supposed to be the first of 30 F-16s promised, but two years have passed since the promise, and Ukraine still has not received a single Belgian fighter. In comparison, other countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway have already delivered F-16s to Ukraine, and some of them are already in service.
Major General Geert De Dekker of the Belgian Air Force stressed that the country must first meet its own operational needs.
The reason for the delay is reportedly related to the delivery of new F-35s to Belgium. Only after the full transition to these aircraft can the old F-16s be transferred to Ukraine, which is expected to happen no earlier than 2029.
Regarding the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine, De Decker also emphasized that a fixed deadline was never promised.
It has always been clear that our own operational readiness must be guaranteed.
In May 2024, then-Prime Minister of Belgium Alexandre De Croo stated that the fighters delivered to Kyiv would be used only within Ukraine. At the same time, the country's former Foreign Minister Haja Lahbib stated that the country would deliver 30 of its F-16 fighters to Ukraine by 2028.
