In particular, in August, Ukraine’s first F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed due to a Russian missile attack, killing pilot Oleksiy Metz.
MOSCOW: The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in 2022, is intensifying day by day. Recently, the Russian military shot down a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet in the Zaporizhia region. According to Russia’s TASS news agency, American fighter jets were preparing to launch a missile attack on Russian positions. Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the Council of the Sovereign and Patriotic Project Committee of the Russian Federation, confirmed the incident, saying: “The F-16 was in a position to attack the area with missiles and was shot down.” If true, this would be the second loss of Ukrainian F-16 Fighting Falcons.
In particular, in August, Ukraine’s first F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed due to a Russian missile attack, killing pilot Oleksiy Metz. However, the Ukrainian military insisted that the crash was not a direct result of a missile attack. The report said Ukrainian pilots destroyed three cruise missiles and one drone during a major Russian attack. However, the Russian government claimed that a Russian attack caused the first F-16 to crash.
F-16 deliveries delayed
Ukraine will have to wait longer than expected for deliveries of Belgian-made F-16 fighter jets, which were originally scheduled to arrive by the end of this year, according to reports.
Deliveries of the F-26 jets have been delayed, with the first batch of U.S. jets scheduled to arrive in 2025, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported. It is noteworthy that Ukraine and Belgium signed a security agreement. In May of this year, an agreement was signed that included the provision of 30 US-made F-16 fighter jets. At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expected the first batch of fighter jets to arrive by the end of 2024, but this schedule is no longer achievable.
Reasons for delay in F-16 delivery to Ukraine
Belgian Defense Secretary Ludivine Dedonder recently visited Poland to examine Belgium’s military activities planned for 2025. During this trip, it became clear that Ukraine would not be able to receive the scheduled F-16 aircraft within this year’s scheduled time frame. year. The Belgian Ministry of Defense cited bureaucratic delays and other unavoidable challenges (such as substandard preparation of Ukrainian pilots and lack of replacement parts) as the main reasons for the delay. The situation is further complicated by unexpected delays in the arrival of the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, a key part of Belgium’s air defense infrastructure.
Denmark provides F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
US officials recently unveiled changes to Ukraine’s F-16 pilot training strategy. They will be putting new cadets in front of veteran cadets. The move is likely to delay the full-scale rollout of Western-made aircraft in Ukraine by several months. Ukrainian pilots are currently honing their F-16 skills in multiple countries, including the United States. In addition, Ukraine has just received a second batch of F-16 fighter jets, courtesy of Denmark.
