During a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed that Denmark has delivered the first six F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force. The Prime Minister also noted that more aircraft are expected to arrive in the coming months, supplied by the European coalition formed by Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark itself, with the approval of the United States.
Since mid-July, various reports had indicated that the Ukrainian Air Force was preparing to receive its first F-16 fighters transferred by Western allies. The confirmation came in August during an official ceremony presided over by Volodymyr Zelensky, celebrating the formal addition of the first Fighting Falcons. However, no further details about this initial batch of fighters were provided at that time.
Image analysis revealed specific details confirming that this first batch of F-16s originated from the Royal Danish Air Force. Identifying features included the absence of the rear fairing housing the braking parachute and the port-side interception light located behind the radar radome. However, questions remained about the exact number of units transferred by Denmark.
As noted, Denmark is one of the countries committed to transferring F-16 fighters to Ukraine, in addition to providing necessary support for training new pilots. In total, the Danish government will transfer 19 aircraft: six Block 10 models and thirteen Block 15 models.
According to Mette Frederiksen, this first batch received between July and August consists of six aircraft, though their specific variant was not disclosed. It also remains unconfirmed whether the first F-16 lost in an operational accident shortly after its official unveiling was part of this batch, although speculation strongly suggests it might be.
Subsequently, the Danish Prime Minister stated that further deliveries of F-16s to Ukraine are expected, this time from Norway. The Nordic country has committed to transferring up to 22 F-16 Block 10/15 aircraft, along with engines, support equipment, test benches, tools, maintenance materials, simulators, spare parts, manuals, and technical documentation, among other resources.
However, as reported, the transfer of F-16 fighters from Western allies faces a significant bottleneck in the training of new pilots, likely delaying the Ukrainian Air Force’s goal of reaching Initial Operational Capability before the end of the year. Despite this, the aircraft have already been used in defense and air cover missions over Kyiv in recent weeks.
In total, combining all the F-16s pledged by the aforementioned countries, the Ukrainian Air Force expects to operate a fleet of over 60 aircraft. These jets will provide much-needed reinforcement for the service’s combat fleet. Over more than two years of conflict, combat operations have relied on MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters, as well as Su-24 and Su-25 attack aircraft, which have suffered attrition due to the ongoing conflict. In some cases, this situation has been alleviated by the provision of components and units from Eastern European countries, such as the MiG-29s transferred by Poland and Slovakia. However, similar operations for other Russian or Soviet-origin models have not been reported.
Photographs used for illustrative purposes.
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Such a dangerous a dumb decision. Why help and get yourself involved in a war when you don’t have a war with Russia. Denmark is going to pay its price with a nuclear wipeout.