Ukraine Verifies Delivery of F-16s

Earlier this year, The Netherlands pledged dozens of F-16s to Ukraine. [Courtesy: The Netherlands Ministry of Defense]

Ukraine has taken delivery of a batch of F-16 fighter jets, the country's president confirmed Wednesday.

"Additional F-16s have arrived in Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists at a press conference Wednesday, the Kyiv Independent reported. “The Russians lied that they shot down something there, they didn't shoot anything down. And the good news is that several F-16 aircraft have arrived in Ukraine."

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Zelenskyy did not confirm the number of fighter jets delivered or their origin.

Numerous countries have made pledges in recent years to send F-16s to Ukraine, where officials have long sought access to the fighter jet in order to modernize its air force and improve its defense ability following Russia’s invasion in 2022. Pledges include 24 jets from the Netherlands, 19 jets from Denmark, between 6-22 jets from Norway, along with an undisclosed number of jets from Belgium.

Last August, Ukraine received its first of 80 F-16s. At the time, a U.S. official confirmed that it had received six fighters that were flown by six Ukrainian pilots trained to operate them. Ukrainian fighter pilots began training at Morris Air National Guard Base, Arizona, in October 2023.