The State Department approved a $266 million foreign military sales package for Ukraine on Dec. 10, enabling the sustainment of services as well as repairs necessary for the upkeep of the country's F-16 fighter jets.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that if all international partners demonstrated the same level of commitment then "Russian terror could already have been made impossible."
"The next step is advanced fast jet training and conversion to F-16 with partner nations," the statement read.
The launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 confronted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with a new geopolitical reality. Described as "braindead" by French President Emmanuel Macron only a few years prior, the alliance woke up to a threat previously thought consigned to the past: a
The shift could extend the training program by months, delaying the Ukrainian squadron's battlefield readiness even further.
Sitting at Kyiv's main train station moments before wrapping up his trip to Ukraine, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans had a lot to discuss. Brekelmans has just announced that the first batch of Dutch F-16s are flying Ukrainian skies, defending the country from Russian air strikes. He also announced that
Denmark will invest 4.2 billion Danish kroner ($628 million) into Ukraine's arms production, according to Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. Poulsen signed the following agreements with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov and Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin in Kyiv. The Danish defense minister's trip to Kyiv took place as
Key developments on Sept. 21-22: * Ukraine awaits Mirage 2000 jets, in talks about Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon, defense minister says * Ukraine confirms overnight strikes on Russian arms depots * Iran provided no launchers with missile deliveries to Russia, Reuters reports * Russia preparing strikes against Ukrainian nuclear facilities ahead of winter, foreign minister
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Ukraine has an agreement to receive Dassault Mirage 2000 jets. According to the minister, Ukraine is in talks to acquire Swedish-made Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon fighters.
A medium-range glide bomb known as the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) might be included in the new military aid package, U.S. officials told Politico. The missile can cover a distance of over 70 miles.
* Putin signs decree increasing number of military personnel, staff to 2.38 million * Ukraine's Victory Plan 90% complete, Zelensky says * Zelensky signs law establishing Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces * Ukraine to receive another batch of Danish F-16s this year, minister says * Latvia to supply Ukraine with British-made CVR(T) armored vehicles
The Danish government promised to transfer another batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of this year, the DR broadcaster reported on Sept. 15, citing Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
Ukrainian pilots arrived in Romania to start training on Dutch aircraft at the Borcea air base "a few days ago," Digi24 news outlet reported on Sept. 12. They are now reportedly learning details about the F-16s on the ground.
Weeks after Ukraine received its first batch of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets from European allies and more than a year after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the start of test trials on Sweden’s prestigious Gripen multipurpose variants, Stockholm signaled that their possible transfer to Ukraine remains on the
As the allies gathered at the Ramstein Air Base for the 24th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in person to lobby for faster deliveries of air defenses and long-range weapons. Despite new aid pledges, the result has been rather lackluster. Kyiv has been
The training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s has been happening at an accelerated pace. Ukraine's pilot training program is ongoing, but "the crash shows what happens when you try to rush things," an unnamed senior defense official told the WSJ.
Retired U.S. General Philip M. Breedlove discusses how the delayed introduction of F-16s has limited their immediate effectiveness in Ukraine and what lessons on balancing air superiority and drone warfare NATO should learn from Ukraine war.
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity. Even as Ukraine's daring incursion into Russian territory brought the full-scale war back to the headlines around the world, Moscow's forces keep grinding on the eastern front, with dire implications for the entire Donbas region. Though Kyiv's operation achieved an
Key developments on Aug. 31 - Sep. 1: * Russia attacks Kharkiv, injuring at least 47, including medics, children * Russia claims 158 drones downed in mass attack targeting refinery, power plants in Moscow, other regions * F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine unlikely shot down by 'friendly fire,' NYT suggests * Ukraine presents
"Friendly fire" from a Patriot missile battery is unlikely to have caused the downing of a U.S.-made F-16 fighter jet, the New York Times reported on Aug. 31, citing two undisclosed senior U.S. military officials.
"I would probably say this is a rotation," said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. "This is two separate issues…at this stage, I would not connect them."
Though the move has not been ruled out in the future, the Biden administration is hoping European countries will take partial or even full responsibility for maintaining Ukraine's recently-delivered F-16s.
In response to a question from the Kyiv Independent, Frederiksen said she was "extremely proud" the aircraft were in use, adding she had wanted to send them "from the beginning of the war."
Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said that Ukraine had "received a preliminary report" from the U.S., which he said "has already joined the investigation into the causes (of the crash)."
Key developments on Aug. 29: * F-16 fighter jet crashes in Ukraine, military confirms * Fighting near Pokrovsk 'exceptionally brutal,' Syrskyi says * Russian troops forced to retreat in Vovchansk after failed assault preparations, Ukraine says * 'Systems are there, what is lacking is final go' — Kuleba urges partners not to delay Patriot
One of the F-16 fighter jets recently delivered to Ukraine crashed while repelling a Russian mass attack, Ukraine's General Staff said on Aug. 29.
Ukraine's Air Force announced on Aug. 29 that a pilot had been killed during Russia's mass attack on Aug. 26, shortly after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that one of the recently delivered F-16 jets had been destroyed in a crash on the same day.
Ukraine's Air Force used F-16 jets as part of its defense against Russia's mass missile and drone attack on Aug. 26, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed during a press conference on Aug. 27.
On Aug. 24, 2021, Ukraine's military finest paraded through the streets of Kyiv in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the country's Independence Day. It would be the last time such an event was held, with Russia's full-scale invasion meaning everything on display would be put to the test, with
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell spoke with Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow for airpower and technology at RUSI, about the evolving dynamics of airspace in Russia's war against Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent's senior news editor Martin Fornusek spoke with defense and aviation expert Peter Layton about what we learned from this footage – how the F-16s are equipped and what could be the strategies and challenges of operating them.
Key developments on Aug. 6: * Moscow claims clashes with Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region, Kyiv hasn't commented * Ukraine's missile program to get additional funding, Zelensky says * Russian missile attack on Kharkiv kills 1, injures 12, including infant * State Department: The arrival of F-16s has not changed US policy on
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American air superiority fighter that Kyiv has requested from its allies since the start of the full-scale invasion. Denmark and the Netherlands founded the "fighter jet coalition" for Ukraine on July 11, 2023 at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania with nine other countries: Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
These countries pledged to help provide Kyiv with F-16s and train Ukrainian pilots and technical staff to operate the jets. Washington gave its approval in August 2023 to the Netherlands and Denmark to donate their F-16s to Ukraine after training was complete, and agreed to start training Ukrainian pilots in Arizona from October 2023.
Kyiv has been promised 79 F-16s from the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium, with the first 20 reportedly scheduled to arrive by the end of 2024. Belgium will supply Ukraine with 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028.
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