Ukraine will receive modernised F-16AM/BM Block 20 MLU fighters with the ability to launch air-to-air missiles and improved radar with a range of more than 110 km

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that Ukraine will receive 42 aircraft after training pilots on the F-16, and this is just the beginning. The donors will be the Netherlands and Denmark. The modification is not officially reported, but the first country has exclusively Block 20 MLU in service.

Here's What We Know

The air forces of the two countries have a combined total of almost 90 fourth-generation fighters. The first 42 aircraft will allow the Ukrainian Air Force to form three squadrons of 14 fighters each. All of them are currently stationed in the Netherlands.

MLU is an acronym for Mid-Life Update. The capabilities of Block 20 MLU aircraft correspond to those of Block 50/52. The fourth-generation fighters underwent the MLU upgrade programme at the end of the last century.

The F-16 Block 20 MLU is equipped with a new AN/APG-66(V)2A radar. The radar has a seven-fold increase in speed over the previous version. The system can detect air threats at a range of more than 110 kilometres.

The MLU upgrade brought a new electronic warfare system and updated avionics. The F-16 Block 20 MLU can launch AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles with a range of more than 100 kilometres.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said the other day that the training programme for Ukrainian pilots had already started.