Ukraine may receive a small batch of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters by the end of winter, but the main deliveries are expected in the summer

The first F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters may land in Ukraine as early as next winter. But their number will be small.

Here's What We Know

The US has authorised countries to transfer their fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters to Ukraine. Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands have officially confirmed the deliveries, while Belgium said it would not be able to share the planes due to wear and tear.

The first fighter jets could appear in service with the Ukrainian Air Force by the end of February 2024. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources from Ukraine's military leadership.

They believe that the US is capable of training pilots with English language skills within five months. The group has fewer than 10 pilots. They will receive flight training at a National Guard airbase in Arizona. Dozens of pilots will receive English language training in San Antonio.

At the same time, the United States is less optimistic about the timing of the training. The U.S. side believes that Ukrainian pilots will be able to start using the F-16 Fighting Falcon in combat only in the middle of next year.

One of the obstacles is maintenance. Each hour of F-16 Fighting Falcon flight requires 16 hours of maintenance on the ground. Training maintenance personnel can be a more complex process than training pilots.

In late August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an interview to the Portuguese channel RTP. He said that Ukraine has already agreed with partners on the delivery of 50-60 aircraft. At the same time, the country needs 160 fighter jets to achieve air parity with Russia.

Source: WSJ