Ukraine receives 10 F-16 fighters - The Economist

The first ten F-16 fighters arrived in Ukraine on the last day of July. A total of 79 of them should arrive.

This was reported by The Economist on Sunday, August 4.

By the end of 2024, Ukraine should receive 20 American-made fighter jets. The rest, promised by members of the F-16 coalition led by Denmark and the Netherlands, will arrive in batches during 2025, the publication writes.

"But given the slow growth in numbers, it may be some time before the F-16s have a significant impact. A recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies argues that Ukraine needs far more aircraft than promised. Of the 79 registered, at least ten are two-seaters simulators. Some of the others may be in such poor condition that they will serve primarily as a source of spare parts," the material says.

In addition, it took time to create the appropriate infrastructure. The plane requires more maintenance than its russian counterparts, and flight engineers need the same training as pilots, The Economist noted.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Bloomberg reported on July 31 that the first batch of F-16 fighter jets had arrived in Ukraine.

On July 10, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Netherlands and Denmark had begun transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Also on July 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine needs at least 128 F-16 fighter jets to effectively confront russia.