Ukraine will receive additional F-16s from Belgium, as the country has already started receiving the first fifth-generation F-35 fighters to replace them.
This was reported by Defence Express.
The brand-new F-35s, which Belgium has been waiting for over seven years, have already arrived at Florennes Air Base, where they will eventually be integrated into the 1st Squadron. They are expected to be ready for rapid response operations by 2027.
At the same time, Belgium will keep its F-16s in service until 2028, when they will be fully replaced by fifth-generation fighters.
The older fighters will gradually be phased out of the country’s air force, after which they will be sent to Ukraine.
The order for the delivery of F-35s to Belgium is being fulfilled by the American company Lockheed Martin. According to the initial agreements, the first fighters were supposed to arrive in 2023, but they were ready in 2024 and were used for pilot training in the USA.
The first F-35 specifically intended for immediate delivery to Belgium rolled off the production line only at the beginning of June this year, with the serial number FL009. The first batch delivered to Belgium consists of four aircraft.
The publication suggests that this will allow the first Belgian F-16s to be sent to Ukraine in 2026. This will strengthen the Ukrainian air fleet and provide defenders with additional sorties.
In total, Belgium has ordered 34 F-35A aircraft—the contract was signed seven years ago, in October 2018. Recently, the country decided that this number would not be sufficient and plans to order an additional 11 units.