F-16 challenges for Ukraine

August 31, 2023 - Europe could supply U.S.-made F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine and provide training for pilots and support crew. Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway could supply up to 73 F-16 fighters.

Related Graphics

View More

Israel’s military expands invasion into south-west Lebanon

Russia’s defence spending at highest level on record

U.S. Army using laser weapons on the battlefield

Israeli troop reinforcements sent to Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes target successor to Hezbollah Leader in Beirut

The humanitarian cost of the Israel-Hamas war

Israel's multilayered air-defence system

Eight Israeli soldiers killed in fighting with Hezbollah

Russian conscription rising since invasion of Ukraine

Iran fires barrage of missiles at Israel

Israel launches ground invasion of Lebanon

Hezbollah leaders assassinated by Israel

Ukrainian drones destroy Russian ammunition stockpile

Israeli military says it has killed Hezbollah chief Nasrallah

Nearly 800 people killed in Lebanon as Israel rejects ceasefire

Kremlin’s secret drones project

Hezbollah fires ballistic missile at Mossad HQ near Tel Aviv

China holds rare test of intercontinental missile into Pacific

Israel launch new attacks after deadly day in Lebanon

Israel steps up bombardment of Lebanon

Exploding devices attacks raise fears of wider Israel-Lebanon conflict

Hezbollah blames Israel for deadly pager explosions

Ukraine may use Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russia

Russia launches counter-offensive in Kursk region

Biden hints at ending Ukraine long-range weapons restrictions

Iran ships “hundreds” of ballistic missiles to Russia

Russia takes Ukrainian town in advance on Pokrovsk

US close to agreeing on JASSM missiles for Ukraine

“Russian spy” whale “shot dead”

Ukraine faces major government reshuffle

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gar Støre joined Denmark and the Netherlands last week during a meeting in Kyiv with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We plan to transfer Norwegian F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, and will provide further information on the transfer, quantity, and delivery time in due course,” Støre said.

According to Janes, the Royal Norwegian Air Force has 57 F-16AM/BM Block 15 mid-life upgrade (MLU) aircraft in its inventory. Of these, 32 have been sold to Romania, while Norway could transfer 12 to Ukraine.

The Royal Danish Air Force maintains around 40 F-16AM/BM Block 15 MLU aircraft, including some in storage. At the same time, the Royal Netherlands Air Force has 24 F-16AMs updated to the same MLU standard, Janes reports.

The MLU standard allows the F-16s to carry AIM-9 and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, as well as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), as well as other air-to-surface munitions.

Last week, the Biden administration announced that it would train Ukrainian pilots at air bases in Texas and Arizona starting in September.

It will take at least four months to train Ukraine’s pilots on aircraft more advanced than what they are used to flying and on tactics and weapons they are not used to using. Teaching them enough English to understand training manuals and communicate with air traffic controllers and instructors could take longer.