Belgium to send three F-16s to Ukraine by year end

Transfer will help Kyiv to counter rise in Russian Geran-4 one-way drone attacks.
Belgium has pledged to send three Lockheed Martin F-16s to Ukraine by the end of the year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted to X on 29 September.

Zelensky also says Ukraine has received deliveries of F-16 ammunition from Belgium and other countries, including Spain.

The news comes as Ukraine faced another night of attacks from Russia’s new Geran-4 one-way attack drone. Ukraine’s military recently told the BBC that jet-powered drone attacks grew from 350 in June to 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August. In September, 3177 attacks were reported.

It is thought the F-16s will work to counter Russia’s new jet-powered drones that are an advanced model of Iran’s Shahed model. As the Russian Geran-4 flies higher and faster than the propeller-driven Shahed 136s, it is harder for Ukrainian defences to intercept. It has recently been reported that the new high-performance drone is powered by Chinese jet engines.

Previous donations of secondhand F-16s to Ukraine have come from Norway, which committed six F-16s strictly to support a pilot training programme. Other NATO allies, including Denmark and the Netherlands, pledged to donate 19 and 24 of the fighters respectively.

France has also pledged to equip Kyiv with six Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000-5F fighters. Of those, one jet was lost due to a technical equipment malfunction in July 2025, with one example remaining to be delivered. Sweden also will provide the Ukrainian air force with donated Saab Gripen C/Ds, as part of a broader equipment package also including the sale of E-model fighters.

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