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Initially, the NATO country planned to donate four non-operative F-16’s for spare parts.
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Belgium is changing its strategy regarding military support for Ukraine, as the Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken announced a major update to their aircraft donation plans before a NATO meeting.
The nation now intends to send more fighter jets than promised, Ukrainska Pravda and RBC-Ukraine report.
The timeline has also accelerated. Francken explained that several jets will arrive before the end of the year.
He stated, “On Ukraine, we’re stepping up even more on the help. We will help them by delivering seven F-16s this year. So there will be seven F-16s this year – four for spare parts and three to operate in the skies of Ukraine to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression,”
Initially, Brussels only promised four non-operational jets for parts. Now, Ukrainian pilots will fly some of them.
Francken noted that operational jets are great for shooting down cruise missiles and drones.
Future fighter plans
The long-term goals could drain the Belgian inventory entirely. Currently, the country operates over 40 F-16 aircraft.
However, the defence ministry wants to scale up assistance dramatically if local conditions allow it.
The final decision rests on incoming American upgrades. Belgium needs its new F-35 fighter jets before it can part with older models.
Francken stated, “I’ll propose to the government to send all our F-16s to Ukraine in the coming years. It depends on having the F-35s in place because, of course, we have DCA capacity. We have our role in the nuclear doctrine of NATO,”
In this context, DCA stands for Dual-Capable Aircraft, meaning fighter jets certified to carry both conventional weapons and tactical nuclear weapons. F-16s and F-35s are both DCA.
Overcoming past delays
This announcement follows a long period of missed deadlines. European Pravda noted that previous promises went unfulfilled, and Belgium has not delivered a single aircraft over the last three years.
Together, Belgium and Norway are holding up 36 F-16 jets, nearly half of the total promised. The Norwegian planes, six of the total 36, are stuck at a Belgian repair facility where progress has stalled.
Officials in Brussels have defended these delays. They claim that the government never gave Kyiv specific delivery dates. Still, the arrival of these seven jets could break the painful gridlock.
