The head of the US European Command, General Christopher Cavoli, confirmed during a hearing in the US Senate additional F-16 fighter jets are already being prepared for delivery to Ukraine.
“There are a certain number of F-16s [in Ukraine]. There are a certain number of pilots. There are more F-16s being prepared for deployment there. There are more pilots in training,” said Cavoli.
He did not specify how many aircraft might be transferred. The exact figures reportedly could be disclosed during a closed session.
F-16 fighters are being actively used in Ukraine: they take off daily, have already neutralized a significant number of cruise missile threats, and have conducted numerous offensive operations, including bombings in the east.
None of these fighters were transferred from the United States. They primarily came from the Netherlands and Denmark.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced new deliveries of Western F-16 fighters for 2025 following a conversation with his Dutch counterpart. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will receive another batch of F-16s at the end of March.
Ukraine also expects F-16 deliveries from Belgium. These deliveries are planned for 2026.
Umerov said that Ukraine is also negotiating with allies about the supply of Gripen and Eurofighter jets.
Ukraine has repeatedly requested F-16 fighter jets from the US since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. After initial resistance, the US approved the transfer of F-16s in mid-2023, with deliveries and pilot training now underway.
The first deliveries began in August 2024, with subsequent batches arriving in early 2025 from countries like the Netherlands and Denmark
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