Denmark is boosting Ukraine’s F-16 support with maintenance equipment and training, as Kyiv faces losses and challenges transitioning pilots to Western jets amid ongoing Russian missile and drone strikes.
Just days after the Ukrainian military lost another F-16 Fighting Falcon, one third of the US-made fighters to date, NATO member Denmark announced that it will provide an additional aid package to Kyiv.
This 26th military package will provide maintenance equipment for the multirole combat aircraft and, perhaps even more importantly, additional training assistance.
“Unfortunately, the Ukrainian need for help and support has not diminished. I am happy and proud that we can again allocate funds for donations that will make a difference on the battlefield in the short and long term. Denmark has been a faithful supporter of Ukraine since the beginning of the war. We will continue to be so in the coming years,” said Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen in a statement to the media.
Last year, Ukraine began shifting its F-16 training to younger, even less experienced pilots to accelerate its transition to the American-made fighter jet.
However, aviation experts warned in January that the training can’t be rushed and that even experienced pilots could face a steep learning curve.
Additional F-16s from NATO members Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands will arrive in Ukraine this year. Earlier this month, it was also reported that the US Air Force provided retired, non-flyable stripped-down F-16s from its famed “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, to Kyiv with additional components to keep its fleet of Fighting Falcons flying.
Ukraine Needs More F-16 Training
In the early hours of Friday morning, a Ukrainian F-16 was lost, while the pilot successfully ejected. It occurred as the Ukrainian Air Force was attempting to repel a Russian missile and drone strike.
“According to preliminary data, the pilot destroyed three air targets and worked on the fourth, using an aircraft cannon,” the Ukrainian Air Force announced, per a report from Newsweek.
“However, an emergency arose on board. The pilot took the plane away from the settlement and successfully ejected,” the UAF added.
“Thanks to the prompt work of the search and rescue team, the pilot was quickly found and evacuated.”
The unnamed pilot is expected to recover.
Unfortunately, that was not the case with the two prior F-16s that were lost, as both Ukrainian aviators were killed. That included 26-year-old Pavlo Ivanov, who lost his life when his F-16 “Viper” was shot down in April, while Oleksii “Moonfish” Mes was killed responding to a Russian missile strike on Ukraine in August.
A lack of experience with the F-16 may have affected the crash last summer.
Though Mes was an experienced pilot, he had initially trained on Soviet-era fighter aircraft.
The transition from Soviet fighters to the F-16 has presented challenges, and Ukrainian aviators need to learn English before they can be trained on the aircraft’s systems.
Yet, as Stavros Atlamazoglou explained for The National Interest, the extra effort has paid off.
“Although the Ukrainian Air Force has not been able to establish air superiority over Ukraine, it has been quite effective in preventing its Russian adversary from doing the same, helping to even the balance of power and prevent either side from gaining a decisive advantage on the ground,” Atlamazoglou wrote.
He added, “In terms of casualties inflicted on the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down 2,496 cruise missiles, 465 air‑launched guided missiles, 97 ballistic missiles, 40 Kh‑47M2 Kinzhal aero‑ballistic missiles, and 17,575 Shahed‑type attack suicide drones. In addition, the Ukrainians have shot down scores of Russian fighter and support aircraft.“
The extra Fighting Falcon components from the US Air Force and support from Denmark should further help Kyiv, in what is quickly becoming the UAF’s “finest hour.“
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Joris van Boven.
