Ukraine to receive another batch of Danish F-16s this year, minister says

The Danish government promised to transfer another batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine later this year, the DR broadcaster reported on Sept. 15, citing Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

"Denmark will deliver an additional contribution of F-16 aircraft in the second half of 2024," Poulsen said in a comment to the Ritzau news agency after his visit to Kyiv.

Ukraine received its first U.S.-made fourth-generation jets in late July, one year after Denmark, the Netherlands, and other foreign partners launched the fighter jet coalition for Kyiv.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed on Aug. 31 that these initial F-16s included aircraft from Denmark, while earlier reports suggested that the first batch was comprised of Dutch planes.

Copenhagen has pledged to deliver 19 aircraft to Ukraine in total but did not disclose how many had already been provided. Poulsen did not name the size of the second batch either "for the sake of operational security."

Kyiv has already deployed F-16s to intercept Russian mass aerial attacks. One aircraft crashed during such a mission, marking Ukraine's first F-16 loss.

Ukraine was also promised 24 F-16s by the Netherlands, six by Norway, and 30 by Belgium. President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country needs at least 128 F-16s to successfully counter Russian air power.

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The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek