-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has provided an update on the status of the F-16 fighter jets promised to Ukraine, RBC-Ukraine reported on April 15.
He confirmed that while the aircraft have officially been transferred to Ukrainian ownership and that they are currently undergoing extensive repairs before they can be deployed in combat.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
Speaking at a joint press briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Støre explained that Norway’s contributed F-16s had been decommissioned and out of service for several years as the Norwegian military transitioned to the newer F-35 fleet.
Unlike other allied nations that transferred jets directly from their active combat fleets for immediate use by Ukrainian pilots, Norway’s aircraft require significant maintenance and preparation.
“Now they belong to Ukraine, and they are being repaired and prepared for operation by Belgian technical specialists under an agreement concluded with the US and Ukraine,” Støre stated. “I think the first of these aircraft will be ready for operation soon, but they are already part of the Ukrainian Air Force,” according to RBC-Ukraine.
The delay in delivering Norway’s pledged F-16s exposes a logistical and political bottleneck within the European “fighter jet coalition.” While the United States recently awarded a $235 million contract to Belgium’s Sabena Aerospace Engineering to maintain Ukraine’s F-16 fleet, the facility is currently overwhelmed by a severe lack of capacity.
The timeline has been further crippled by the fact that Oslo previously opted to sell its 32 best-condition F-16s to Romania, leaving the ones pledged to Ukraine with heavily degraded airframes that arrived in pieces and are missing dozens of critical components.
This this logistical setback in Norway mirrors similar setbacks across the continent—most notably in Belgium, which has stalled the transfer of its own 30 promised jets due to delays in receiving American F-35 replacements. As a result, despite optimistic political declarations, the actual deployment of these vital air defense assets remains paralyzed in repair hangars.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
