The US has agreed to equip a dozen F-16 fighter jets with modern missiles and other advanced weaponry before transferring them to Ukraine.
The decision was first reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on July 30, 2024.
The F-16s will be equipped with air-to-ground AGM-88 HARM missiles, bomb sights, diameter bombs, AMRAAM advanced air-to-air missiles, and AIM-9X, all supplied by the Pentagon, the US Department of Defense’s headquarters.
Of the list, the U.S. official told WSJ: “We are confident that we will be able to supply all of those, at least the critical volumes that they need”.
However, several European countries are hesitant about providing abundant munitions due to their restricted resources, so the allies have discovered a solution that the Pentagon describes as a “wind-up”. A US official suggested that European countries could combine their funds to purchase munitions from the US and deliver them to Ukraine.
A total of around 80 F-16 fighter jets from Western countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Norway are set to be transferred to Ukraine, with up to 20 anticipated as being delivered within 2024. On July 10, 2024, the US Embassy in Ukraine confirmed that “the handover of the first F-16s is underway”.
Ukraine hopes that the F-16 fighter jets provided by the West will help it to counter Russian aircraft and protect its cities against air attacks.
The US is also considering ways of expanding the training of Ukrainian pilots, either at a base in Arizona or by permitting pilots to utilize other US Air Force bases.
