Ukraine's President Zelensky thanks Belgium for the delivery of three F-16 fighter-jets by the end of the year | VRT NWS: news

Belgium is set to deliver three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, posting the plan on social media platform X. He expects the transfer to use an accelerated procedure. The announcement was made earlier this year by Defence Minister Theo Francken in Belgium’s parliament and during Zelensky’s visit to Brussels. Belgium will supply seven F-16s to Ukraine in total this year: four have already been handed over, though they remain de facto at Sabca in Gosselies, where they are being used to train Ukrainian technicians. VRT NEWS reports the aircraft are too old to fly in their current configuration, but the three newer-delivery jets still have nearly 8,000 flying hours and can be used for air defence against Russian drones and missiles, as a lower-cost alternative to scarce Patriot missiles.