Ukraine received six F-16 fighters from the Netherlands—the Times

Ukraine has received its first F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands—a batch of six planes. The Times reported this, citing an anonymous source.

The source said that six of the fighters, delivered as part of the strengthening of Ukrainian air defense, came from the Netherlands, and several more will soon arrive from Denmark.

Ukraine has received its first F-16 fighter jets

Official Kyiv has not yet confirmed the arrival of the long-awaited F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine, as Bloomberg reported on July 31. 

In a letter dated July 1, Kajsa Ollongren, the Dutch Minister of Defense in the previous government, informed the parliament that “the delivery of the first aircraft will take place in the near future.”

On June 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Danish planes would start arriving “in the near future.”

Media outlets have previously reported that Ukraine expects to receive 6 F-16s from its Western partners this summer and up to 20 planes in total by the end of the year.

F-16s are equipped with modern American weapons

Lockheed Martin’s updated radars and modern American weapons, such as anti-radar missiles, laser-guided bombs, and medium-range air-to-air missiles, will equip the planes.

Denmark has pledged to provide 19 aircraft, and the Netherlands has 24. Norway and Belgium will also send fighter jets to Ukraine.

On July 10, the leaders of the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands, Joe Biden, Mette Frederiksen, and Dick Schoof, who head the so-called Fighter Coalition, stated that Ukraine would receive the first F-16s during the summer.

The Netherlands announced in early July that it would soon start delivering the first of 24 promised F-16s to Ukraine.

How will F-16 jets protect Ukraine?

Russia is increasingly using guided bombs against Ukrainian border towns. The planes do not fly close to the border and bomb civilians from a safe distance with impunity. 

Ukrainian Armed Forces will only have a way to counter such tactics once they receive F-16 universal combat aircraft from the West. 

Although they will not be a panacea for all Russian air attacks, they can close many gaps in the defence of Ukrainian skies. Ukraine insists that the main guarantee of safe skies is modern Western aircraft. The F-16 provision is a quick and effective solution.

The range of tasks that F-16 jets will perform in Ukraine is also quite wide. First, it will strengthen Ukraine’s air defence, as the F16 is an ideal hunter for Russian combat drones.

Secondly, the long-range missiles used on F-16s will help the Ukrainian Army to destroy Russian equipment and logistics. The war is far from over, and in the coming months, the renewed Ukrainian Air Force may surprise the Russians, ending their superiority in the air.