Bloomberg, citing "two people familiar with the matter", reports that "the Netherlands will likely send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after pilot training". At this time, a number of allies of Ukraine are actively working on the creation of the so-called "coalition of fighter jets", and currently, after a number of countries announced their readiness to conduct pilot training, the question remains: who exactly will be the "donor" of aircraft for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine?
At the same time, the Netherlands (together with Denmark) heads this coalition, while the government of this country is already discussing with its allies the issue of organizing the deployment of Western fighter jets in Ukraine.
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According to Bloomberg, the Netherlands currently has 42 F-16 fighter jets in its inventory, 24 of which are currently being used by the Dutch army and cannot be sent to Ukraine until mid-2024 – probably until the F-35 fighters arrive to replace them.
Meanwhile, with the remaining 18 aircraft, the situation is as follows - back in June 2021, it was reported that the Netherlands planned to sell 12 of its F-16 fighters to the private company Draken International with an option for 28 more aircraft.
Earlier this month it became known that the Netherlands canceled this agreement, and even then the transfer of Dutch F-16 fighter jets was considered a fairly realistic scenario.
"Although the final decision on deployment has not yet been made, Ukraine may get some of the jets that are on sale or some of the currently operational 24 jets next year depending on the training timeline," the publication said.
Defense Express reported earlier, that F-16 Fighters for Ukraine Was One of the Key Factors for Victory Over russia.
Read more: How Ukrainian Air Force Put Preserved Back in Order and What It Has to Do With F-16
