The United States has retired and non-operational F-16s and send it to Ukraine so that they can be used for spare parts, an Air Force spokesman confirmed on Thursday.
Ukraine’s Air Force received F-16 operational F-16 fighter planes from European countries in the past year. The United States has authorized the transfer, but it did not send any operational aircraft itself.
Air Force spokesperson told Business Insider that the Department “had maintained the maintenance of the workforce of the F-16s given to Ukraine by providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts”.
“These F-16s have been withdrawn from the active use of the United States and are not willing,” said the spokesperson. “Above all, they lack critical components, such as an engine or a radar, and could not be reconstructed for operational use.”
The images began to circulate on social networks last week showing the F-16 cells wrapped in withdrawals on a Ukrainian transport aircraft in Arizona. The open source information accounts followed the theft of Tucson at Rzeszów-Jasionka airport in Poland, a key center for Western military equipment for kyiv.
Ukraine received its first F-16 last summer and sent them to various combat missions in the months that followed. Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters
The war zone first pointed out the F-16 transfer, which seems to be the first proof that the United States sent cells. The Trump administration did not publicly comment on the delivery of the F-16, but it came in particular when Washington and kyiv were ready to sign a long-awaited mineral agreement, which they did Wednesday.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism as to the sending of military aid to Ukraine, and his administration even cut him for a brief period in March. The transfer of F-16 for spare parts could however be a sign that Washington is still willing to send essential equipment to kyiv.
Last month, during an audience of the Senate Armed Services Committee, General Christopher G. Cavoli, the best American commander in Europe, spoke of the status of F-16 in Ukraine.
“The planes are active, and they fly every day,” said Cavoli, who directs the US European command, adding that there are more F-16s with more drivers in the training pipeline.
“They have defeated a large number of threats of cruise missiles, and they also launched many offensive attacks, in particular, the bombing in the east.
The F-16s give the aging of the Soviet era fighter fleet in Ukraine a much necessary boost. AP photo / Efrem Lukatsky
The Biden administration authorized the transfer of F-16 to Ukraine in 2023, and Denmark and the Netherlands began to send their jets last summer. Belgium and Norway have also been committed to giving the plane. The four NATO countries planned to send dozens of fighters.
Although the United States has not sent operational planes, it played an essential role in training Ukrainian pilots F-16, just like Romania.
In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country had received a new F-16 expedition. We don’t know exactly how many kyiv fighter planes are flying now.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon has a fourth generation plane of decade but capable. The transfers were supposed to give the hunting planes of the Soviet era of Ukraine, the hunting planes of the Soviet era a boost well necessary for the defensive and offensive missions. They can be armed with powerful air-to-air missiles and air-ground ammunition.
Ukraine has lost at least two F-16s on combat missions since they started flying last year. Kyiv did not reveal any other potential loss.
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