US announces $266 million in sales to bolster Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets
The State Department approved a $266 million foreign military sales package for Ukraine on Dec. 10, enabling the sustainment of services as well as repairs necessary for the upkeep of the country's F-16 fighter jets.
The proposed sale, which has not yet been formally finalized, includes key support systems for Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets, including the Joint Mission Planning System, weapons software, training equipment, as well as spare and replacement parts for the jets, the State Department said.
The announcement of the sale package comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 7 that Denmark has transferred a second batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, further bolstering the country's air defense capabilities.
The sales package "will improve Ukraine’s capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust air defense capability," the State Department said in its statement announcing the sale.
Ukraine received its first F-16s at the beginning of August, a year after its allies formed the fighter jet coalition at the NATO summit in Vilnius to support Kyiv with training and aircraft.
Ukraine's limited number of F-16 fighter jets have continued to shoot down Russian aerial targets, despite concerns over the pace of training provided for Ukrainian pilots. These concerns were amplified following the deadly crash of an F-16 jet during efforts to repel a massive Russian attack.
Despite the incident, hundreds of Ukrainian pilots have received F-16 training from a number of Western allies, including the United States.
In late August, the White House rejected a proposal from the U.S. military to send civilian contractors to Ukraine to maintain F-16s and other equipment, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The sales package comes as the Biden administration rushes to deliver additional aid to Ukraine ahead of the January inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, amid concerns that a future Trump administration would halt military aid to Kyiv.
On Dec. 7, the U.S. announced its latest $988 million military package to Ukraine, including ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as new drone deliveries. The latest aid package will be supplied through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative — a Pentagon-led program for supplying arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.
Dmytro Basmat
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