F-16s from Denmark delayed for six months - media

This was reported by the Berlingske newspaper.

Previously, Kyiv and Copenhagen had agreed that six aircraft would be delivered to Ukraine before the New Year. However, according to Berlingske's source in the Danish military, the delivery schedule has been delayed by six months, as a number of conditions have not yet been met for Ukraine to use the donated fighter jets.

The final reasons for the delay are not yet known, the publication said.

At the same time, the Danish Ministry of Defence noted that, among other things, it is the completion of training of Ukrainian personnel who will operate the aircraft after their transfer, the training schedule of which depends on several factors, such as equipment and weather conditions.

"In addition, the international air force coalition is still working to provide the necessary logistics and infrastructure in Ukraine," the statement says.

Currently, six Ukrainian pilots are being trained on F-16s in Denmark.

Mechanics and other ground staff also need to be trained to ensure the logistics supply chain for ammunition and spare parts, and the physical conditions at Ukrainian airfields need to be ready.

Eight more F-16s are expected to be delivered from Denmark to Ukraine during 2024 and five more in 2025. 

F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine

On September 15, Belgium joined the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. Earlier, the Belgian Defense Ministry said it would not provide Ukraine with F-16 fighters because they are outdated and in poor condition. Such aircraft are dangerous to operate.

According to the Estonian Defense Ministry, Ukraine was likely to receive the first batch of F-16s by the end of 2023.

On December 26, the first group of Ukrainian pilots completed basic F-16 training in the UK, after which they continued their training in Denmark.

On January 3, 2024, Norwegian Defence Minister Bjørn Aril Gram announced that two F-16 fighter jets would be sent to Denmark to contribute to the training of Ukrainian pilots.

Subsequently, on January 5, the Norwegian Armed Forces announced that two F-16 fighter jets had arrived in Denmark from Norway to train Ukrainian pilots.