Ukraine to receive first F-16s from Netherlands: when and under what conditions

This is reported by Defense Express. 

Last week, the Netherlands officially confirmed the transfer of its F-16 multirole fighters to Ukraine, and it is likely that the Ukrainian Air Force may eventually receive all 42 aircraft in service with the country's air force.

Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren assures that the fighter jets will be sent to Ukraine as soon as possible, but the "most realistic timeframe" Ollongren is considering is six to eight months, i.e., approximately February-April 2024.

She emphasizes that even such a timeframe is "extremely fast" and that "no one has done this before," but at the same time hopes that they will be able to meet the deadline.

Ollongren also notes that a number of important conditions must be met before the F-16s can be delivered to Ukraine. First and foremost, it is the training of the necessary number of pilots and other specialists to enable our Air Force to fully utilize these aircraft.

Two more important points that Ollongren emphasizes are the issue of spare parts and weapons - as for the latter, Western media have previously reported that Ukraine's priority list includes the JASSM missile, which will allow it to destroy targets at a distance of 370 km.

In general, she says that the exact terms of the transfer of F-16 fighters to Ukraine are still being discussed and that the United States, as a manufacturer, will also play an important role in this process.

• On August 20 Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the Netherlands to discuss the supply of F-16 fighter jets with Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte: according to the president, a "breakthrough agreement" was reached. Netherlands will send 42 F-16 fighters to Ukraine

• Also, military expert Seriy Zgurets suggested how many F-16s could be provided to Ukraine by Norway.