Belgium will not be able to deliver its F-16 fighter jets this year due to delays in the arrival of its ordered F-35s. Belgian Chief of Defense, General Frédéric Vansina, confirmed the postponement in an interview with the Belgian newspaper Le Soir on February 20.
According to United24 Media, due to delays in the delivery of new aircraft meant to replace the aging F-16s, Belgium has postponed the transfer of its older jets to Ukraine by at least a year.
“The transfer of the first of Belgium’s 30 F-16s to Ukraine has been delayed by at least a year—until the end of 2025,” Vansina stated.
Initial plans had scheduled the delivery of Belgian F-16s in 2025, following the introduction of the newly acquired F-35A jets into the Belgian Air Force. Amid increased Russian aerial activity, efforts were made to expedite the arrival of the first F-35s by late 2024, but these attempts were unsuccessful.
Belgium joined the aviation coalition for Ukraine last year alongside the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway, aiming to provide Kyiv with combat aircraft to help counter Russia’s invasion.
The contract for Belgium’s next-generation F-35s was signed in 2018, with the first deliveries originally expected in 2023. So far, only one aircraft has been delivered under the agreement, and Belgian pilots are currently training with it at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, USA.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that Denmark has already delivered most of its pledged F-16s as part of military aid to Ukraine.
