Belgium to Deliver 30 F-16 Fighters to Ukraine by 2028, With First Planes Arriving by the End of the 2024

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium Hadja Lahbib announced on Tuesday, May 28, that Belgium will deliver 30 of its F-16 fighters to Ukraine by 2028. The first batch is expected to arrive by the end of 2024, but the exact number wasn’t disclosed.

The agreement will be finalized during President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Brussels on May 28.

Belgium entered the "F-16 coalition" last year alongside the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway in order to provide Kyiv with a series of fighter-bombers to face the Russian offensive.

In total, four countries have agreed to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine: the Netherlands will transfer more than 70 fighters, with a "small part" being for training, Denmark plans to deliver 19 F-16 fighters to Ukraine, as well as Norway and Belgium, who did not announce the exact number of fighters.

According to Lahbib, this help is essential to support Kyiv and ensure Belgium’s security against Vladimir Putin, who is determined, according to her, to push back the borders of European countries.

Last week, the US Air National Guard confirmed the graduation of the first cohort of Ukrainian pilots from the F-16 training program in Arizona, marking a significant milestone for Ukraine’s air force.