As of today, and with authorization from the United States, four countries are leading the coalition to carry out the transfer of F-16 fighters to the Ukrainian Air Force: Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium. Based on information gathered from both visual sources and official reports, only the first three have completed the delivery of their Fighting Falcons, while the Belgian government has not yet begun the transfer of the 30 aircraft committed to Ukraine’s war effort. However, this could soon change with the confirmation of the imminent arrival of the first F-35s to the European country — an event scheduled to take place next Monday, October 13, during an official ceremony at Florennes Air Base.
According to official records, in March of this year Denmark formally announced that it had already delivered 14 of the 19 F-16 fighters to Ukraine, while the Netherlands completed the transfer of its 24 pledged aircraft, a development confirmed at the end of May.
For its part, Norway, through the release of official documents, indicated that by the end of 2024 it had already transferred 14 F-16 Block 10/15 fighters to Ukraine. In this regard, it is worth noting that, following approval by the U.S. Congress, the Nordic country received authorization to transfer up to “…22 F-16 Block 10/15 aircraft, engines, support equipment, test benches, tools, maintenance materials, simulators, spare parts, manuals, and technical documents, among others,” as detailed in February 2024 by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Belgium, however, has required more time and preparation compared to its peers in the European F-16 Program (these countries were the original European buyers of the Fighting Falcon) due to several factors. The first is that, unlike Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, Belgium was still in the process of introducing its first F-35s when the decision was made — aircraft that are set to arrive next Monday, October 13. This milestone follows significant progress in recent weeks in the training program for the first instructor pilots, as well as support crews and technicians, in the United States.
By comparison, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway have been operating the F-35 for several years and have already completed — as in the Dutch and Norwegian cases — the retirement of their F-16 fleets. Meanwhile, the Danish Air Force is in the process of doing so, as it finalizes the transfer of its Fighting Falcons to Argentina and Ukraine. In other words, unlike Belgium, these three countries have already completed or are well on their way to completing their transition to the fifth-generation U.S. fighter jet.
Thus, the arrival of the first Belgian Air Force F-35s at Florennes Air Base paves the way for the country — after several announcements — to finally begin the transfer of up to 30 F-16s and associated support equipment. As a result, the delivery of the aircraft, from one of the original users of the European F-16 Program, would enter its final stage.
Nevertheless, despite official statements made by Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken, the government continues to show caution regarding the timeline, which, as seen over the past months, suggests that the transfer would begin toward the end of 2025.
Regarding this matter, the head of the defense ministry recently stated: “As for the F-16s, we are already part of and will remain in the F-16 coalition, and we will try to deliver the planes even earlier than the set deadline. I think this is also good news.”
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