Belgium to send first F-16s to Ukraine by year's end, Zelensky says

Belgium is preparing to hand over its first three F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons to Ukraine before the end of the year, according to an announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sept. 29, 2026. The remaining aircraft from a promised package of 30 will follow as Belgium takes delivery of F-35A Lightning IIs bought from the United States.

The transfer was originally pledged in May 2024, with deliveries expected to run from late that year through 2028. It slipped because Belgium was not willing to give up its combat aircraft before replacements were in service. Only seven F-35s have arrived in Belgium so far, three of them on Sept. 24.

Zelenskiy cited the deliveries of new equipment as important for countering the Russian threat, and said expedited shipments of F-16 ammunition from Belgium and other countries, Spain among them, were instrumental to Ukraine's air defence. The ammunition likely includes AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles along with cannon rounds, which support the Ukrainian Air Force's defensive counter-air campaign against Russian drones and cruise missiles. The F-16s have also recently been augmented with Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guided rockets.

Alongside the transfer, Kyiv is in talks with Lockheed Martin about adopting the latest variant of the fighter, the Block 70/72.