The Chief of the General Staff of Belgium, Air Force General Frederic Vansina, said that the delivery of the first of thirty F-16 fighters to Ukraine is being postponed. It will be delayed by at least a year. According to him, the delivery of the fighters is being postponed because the United States has delayed the delivery of F-35 fighters to Belgium, which were to replace the aircraft that were supposed to be delivered to Ukraine, Informator reports, citing an interview Vansina gave to the newspaper Le Soir, which stated that Ukraine will not receive F-16s from Belgium on time.
He noted that Belgium expects to receive F-35s from the US only by the end of 2025. and that they are expected to be fully operational by 2027.
"We hope to start delivering the first aircraft from the end of this year“, Vansina noted.
Belgium is a member of the fighter jet coalition along with Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Sweden. These countries have pledged to supply Ukraine with aircraft or to assist in training Ukrainian fighter pilots.
Belgian Defense Minister Ludovin Dedonder said in December last year that Belgium would not be able to provide Ukraine with fighter jets until the end of 2024. In late May of the same year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo signed an agreement on security cooperation.
The document provides for military aid to Kiev in the amount of at least 977 million euros, as well as the delivery of 30 F-16 fighters by 2028.