Belgium accelerates F‑16 transfer to Ukraine amidst defence shift
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken declared that his country will make every effort to send F-16 fighters to Ukraine "ahead of schedule." Just a few weeks ago, Brussels suggested that these transfers had been postponed until the arrival of the ordered F-35s in Belgium in 2026.
"Belgium will be future-oriented when we talk about the Coalition of the Willing. And there is also a very good moment in this. We will be and will remain in the Coalition on F-16. And we will try to deliver the F-16s even earlier than the set date. So that's also good news, I think," Francken said before the EU Council meeting.
Belgian F-16s for Ukraine
Theo Francken did not provide further details, but the announcement suggests that Ukraine will receive the promised F-16s before 2026, as that date was mentioned in statements a few weeks ago.
It is unclear how Belgian authorities resolved the issue they previously noted. It involves the gap that would occur after the F-16s are handed over to Ukraine and before the ordered F-35s arrive. The latter were initially expected to start arriving in Belgium in 2023, with the date later pushed to late 2024, and finally to 2025.
Changes in Belgium's combat aviation
In 2018, Belgium ordered 34 F-35 fighters, which it is currently awaiting. In April, Belgian authorities decided to purchase additional aircraft of this type. According to Army Recognition, there will be 11 more.
The F-16 fighters being transferred to Ukraine by a "coalition of the willing" are modified variants of the F-16A/B MLU (Mid-Life Update from the 1990s). Compared to older variants, they feature several significant upgrades, including improved radars and the ability to use a wider range of weaponry, such as AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles with a range of about 100 kilometres (62 miles).
