Moscow: The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which started in 2022, is escalating every day. Recently, the Russian Army shot down a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to Russian news agency TASS, the American-made fighter jet was preparing to launch a missile strike on Russian positions. Vladimir Rogov, Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation’s Commission for Sovereignty and Patriotic Projects, confirmed the incident and said, “The F-16 was in a position to strike the area with missiles, and it was shot down.” If true, this would mark the second loss of a Ukrainian F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Notably, in August, a Russian missile attack caused the first Ukrainian F-16 Fighting Falcon to crash, resulting in the death of pilot Oleksiy Mes. However, the Ukrainian military claimed that the crash was not a direct result of a missile attack. It said the Ukrainian pilot had destroyed three cruise missiles and a drone during a major Russian assault. However, Moscow maintained that its attacks caused the crash of the first F-16.
F-16 Delivery Delayed
Reports suggest that Ukraine will have to wait longer than expected for the delivery of the promised Belgian F-16 fighter jets, which were initially scheduled to arrive by the end of this year.
As per a report from Belgium’s Le Soir, the delivery period of F-26 jets has been delayed, with the first batch of American-made fighter jets now expected to arrive in 2025. It is worth noting that, Ukraine and Belgium signed a security agreement in May this year that included the provision of 30 American-made F-16 fighter jets. At that time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expected that the first batch of fighter jets would arrive by the end of 2024, but this timeline is no longer feasible.
Why Delay in F-16 Delivery to Ukraine
Belgian Defence Chief, Ludivine Dedonder, recently made a journey to Poland to scrutinize the military activities Belgium has lined up for 2025. During this trip, it came to light that Ukraine wouldn’t receive their anticipated F-16 aircraft within the expected timeline this year. Bureaucratic delays and other inevitable challenges – such as substandard preparedness of Ukrainian pilots and a shortage of replacement parts – were cited as key reasons for this delay by the Belgian Defence Ministry. Matters have been further complicated by an unanticipated delay in the arrival of Belgium’s initial batch of F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, pivotal to the nation’s aerial defence infrastructure.
Denmark Provides F-16 Jets to Ukraine
US officials recently revealed a shift in their Ukrainian F-16 pilot training strategy: they’ll be putting fresh cadets in front of their seasoned counterparts. This move seems likely to delay the full roll-out of Western-built aircraft in Ukraine by several months. Ukrainian pilots are currently honing their F-16 skills across several nations, including the U.S. of course. What’s more, Ukraine has just taken delivery of a second batch of F-16 fighter jets, courtesy of Denmark.
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