Belgium pledges ten F-16s to Ukraine before year-end
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever pledged ten F-16 fighters for Ukraine before the end of the year after talks with Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels. He linked delayed transfers to the arrival of replacement F-35s. The new figure exceeds the three aircraft Zelensky had announced in September, as Ukraine seeks aircraft against faster Russian drones.
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De Wever sets a ten-aircraft target
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever pledged to deliver ten F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine before the end of the year after meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels on 15 October. The talks took place on the sidelines of the European Council gathering. De Wever said Ukraine urgently needed operational fighters and Belgium could contribute. His announcement set a new target for transfers that had fallen behind schedule, as Ukraine seeks additional aircraft to protect against Russian attacks on its infrastructure and cities.[1], [2]
Replacement F-35 arrivals underpin the transfer schedule
De Wever attributed the delays to the late arrival of American-made F-35s replacing Belgium’s existing fighters. Those new aircraft were now beginning to arrive, he said, enabling Belgium to transfer F-16s. The pledge therefore depends on implementing the changeover in Belgium’s own fleet. The new figure also raises the number previously stated publicly: on 29 September, Zelensky said Belgium would supply three F-16s by year-end. De Wever’s Brussels announcement put the target at ten. Individual delivery dates and departure bases were not specified.[1]
Belgium’s earlier commitment envisaged transferring up to thirty F-16s by 2028, with deliveries contingent on the progressive arrival of its replacement aircraft.[2]
Faster Russian drones feature in the aircraft talks
De Wever highlighted the fighters’ potential role against Russia’s jet-powered drones, which can fly faster and higher. F-16s already serve in Ukraine’s interception of missiles and drones and can also attack Russian front-line positions. The leaders discussed possible additional ammunition supplies for the aircraft, without announcing a quantity. Belgium presented the transfers as a contribution to Ukraine’s air-defence needs. The announcement concerned a delivery pledge; the aircraft’s arrival in Ukraine was still to be implemented through the F-16 replacement and transfer process described by the prime minister.[1]
