The Minister of Defense of Belgium announced the delivery of Belgian F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in 2025.

On October 11, Ludivine Dedonder, Minister of Defense, announced this on Bel RTL radio.

The Head of the Ministry of Defense announced that their country will begin the transfer of a batch of “several F-16 fighter jets” from the Belgian Air Force starting in 2025.

She emphasized that the speed of the process “depends on the combat capability of the new F-35s,” which are to replace the fleet of aircraft scheduled for delivery.

Previously, David Clarinval, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister, shared in an interview with RTL that next year, Belgium could theoretically provide Ukraine with two to four F-16 fighter jets.

Training and maintenance

In addition to providing combat aircraft, Belgium will also continue to train Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel.

Dedonder noted that the participation of Belgian personnel in Ukraine is not being considered. Specialists will train pilots in Belgium, Denmark, and probably in another EU country.

In addition, the country’s government plans to take over the maintenance of the entire fleet of “coalition” F-16s that will be transferred to Ukraine.

The Belgian Air Force

Alexander De Croo, Belgian Prime Minister, emphasized that the issue of the transfer of aircraft to Ukraine is also about the operational life of old fighter jets.

“If they are somehow still usable, we should definitely consider it,” the head of the Belgian government said.

The Belgian Air Force has 45 F-16 fighter jets. Over the next five to six years, all of them will reach the end of their service life.

Starting next year, the Belgian Air Force will start receiving four to five new F-35 fighter jets per year, which will gradually replace the F-16s.