Belgium will begin delivering F-16 fighters to Ukraine by the end of 2024 if it receives more modern F-35 aircraft from the US in time, said Chief of the General Staff of Belgium Michel Hofman, Report informs referring to TASS.
“Two factors are affecting deliveries: the availability of critical spare parts that will ensure operational readiness of the F-16, and also the delivery schedule of the F-35,” he told Le Soir newspaper, adding that “the first aircraft [F-35] will arrive in Belgium in the summer of 2025."
At the same time, Hofman noted that Belgium has already contributed to the creation of “Ukrainian capabilities [for the use] of the F-16” by sending instructors and technical specialists to Denmark.
The transfer of Belgian F-16s to Kyiv should be carried out as Belgium receives the 40 F-35s ordered in 2018 from the US, the delivery of which is delayed.