Belgium to Transfer F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine by End of Year

Belgium will transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, thanking the country and its Prime Minister Bart de Wever for the agreement. Kyiv will work on receiving the aircraft through an accelerated procedure, Zelensky said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that Ukraine had already received urgent deliveries of F-16 ammunition from Belgium and other countries, including Spain.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “As Russia escalates its attacks every day, we need to add more capabilities to shoot down aerial targets and protect people,” he continued. The statement, however, did not provide the delivery timeline. Ukraine expands F-16 pilot training In recent months, Ukraine has also been expanding its capacity to train F-16 pilots, most of whom previously flew Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-27 jets. Converting to the US-made Fighting Falcon requires months of training, much of it still abroad. The F-16’s cockpit warning system, according to Ukrinform, operates only in English. Because of this, pilots must also master specialized military aviation terminology that differs from civil aviation English. Pilots accustomed to the center-stick controls of the Soviet-designed jets must also adapt to the F-160’s side-stick controller. In line with NATO standards Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced that the country had received its first mobile simulators for training F-16 pilots in April, saying they would significantly improve the effectiveness of aircrew training. Other Topics of Interest NATO’s Rutte Downplays ‘Tit for Tat’ Response to Russia The NATO chief’s statement follows his loose definition of what could trigger Article 5, amid heightened warnings that Russia might stage limited armed confrontations in Europe. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on July 13 that the new delivery would also allow more crews to be trained at higher intensity without lowering quality. “F-16 aircraft is one of the most effective means to intercept air targets,” he continued. The simulators are part of Ukraine’s transition to pilot training in line with NATO standards. They allow crews to rehearse complex combat scenarios and practice specific missions before flying real aircraft, while developing reaction time, decision-making and situational awareness. According to the ministry, the mobile units were developed to Ukrainian requirements and take into account the geography of operations. Their key advantage is mobility, which allows the equipment to be relocated quickly, a feature the ministry described as critical for pilot safety and for protecting assets under constant threat. Beyond training intensity, the simulators preserve aircraft service life and reduce training costs. NATO frequently scrambles the aircraft to intercept Russia’s drones Meanwhile, NATO members, particularly Romania, have frequently scrambled the aircraft in response to Russian drone attacks near their borders and repeated violations of their airspace. Romania scrambled F-16 jets after a drone briefly crossed into its territory near the Kiliia region during a massive overnight Russian assault on Ukraine on May 2. Less than two weeks later, it scrambled two F-16s overnight after Russian drones targeted Ukrainian infrastructure near its border with Ukraine, though radar identified no violations of the country’s airspace. On May 29, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Galați, injuring two people, after Romania scrambled two F-16s and a military helicopter. The drone was not shot down because an interception over a populated area could have endangered civilians. Romania destroyed a first intruding Russian drone on July 24, when using an air-to-air missile over an unpopulated area near Padina in Buzău County. Two Italian Eurofighters fired at the Shahed drone but failed to destroy it before the Romanian F-16 brought it down. On July 26, a Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian drone over the country’s territorial waters near the Sulina-Chilia area, marking the third such interception in three consecutive days. Romania then ordered a Russian embassy employee to be expelled in what its foreign ministry called a “firm response” to drones repeatedly breaching the NATO member’s airspace. On Aug. 24, a drone crossed into the country’s airspace again, prompting it to scramble two F-16s and a helicopter. In early September, two Romanian F-16s were launched to intercept a Russian drone, but it went unimpeded by NATO forces and ended by exploding in a Moldovan farm field. Last week, a Russian Geran-type drone flew in Romanian airspace for about four minutes before crashing near the village of Solca, despite NATO scrambling F-16 and F-18 jets to intercept it. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.