The United States reportedly has provided Ukraine with non-operational F-16 fighter jets from its military “boneyard” to support the growing fleet of European-donated fighters currently engaged in combat against Russia, according to War Zone’s report on 1 May.
“The Department of the Air Force has supported the sustainment of European-donated F-16s to Ukraine by providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts,” a US Air Force spokesperson told War Zone.
The spokesperson emphasized these aircraft cannot be restored to flying condition. These F-16s were reportedly retired from active US use and are not flyable. According to the spokesperson, they lack critical components such as an engine or radar and could not be reconstituted for operational use.
Evidence of this transfer emerged last week when photos circulated on social media showing partially disassembled F-16s being loaded onto a Ukrainian Antonov Airlines An-124 transport aircraft in Arizona.
Flight tracking data confirmed the An-124 landed at Tucson International Airport on 25 April. After loading the dismantled jets, it departed on 26 April for Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland, a key transit hub for Western military aid to Ukraine.
The shrink-wrapped condition of the aircraft made precise identification difficult, but visual elements suggest they are older Block 15 Air Defense Fighter variants previously operated by the Air National Guard.
This parts supply comes at a critical time for Ukraine’s F-16 program. Ukraine’s growing Viper fleet has already suffered combat losses, including two confirmed F-16 crashes resulting in pilot fatalities.
European allies have pledged approximately 85 operational F-16s to Ukraine, with contributions from the Netherlands (24), Denmark (19), Norway (12 and 10 for spare parts), and Belgium (30). Some of these aircraft are being used for training Ukrainian pilots at the European F-16 Training Center in Romania.
Ukrainian F-16s have been conducting both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions, carrying various weapons including AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, AIM-120 AMRAAMs, and GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs.
Maintaining these aging fighters presents significant logistical challenges for Ukraine, which is simultaneously integrating an entirely new Western aircraft system while operating elderly airframes that “require an even bigger support footprint.”
Read also:
- BBC: Ukrainian F-16 shot down by Russian missile, pilot dies in combat
- Ukraine to receive additional F-16 fighter jets – US General
- Ukraine’s F-16s start targeting ground objects in combat missions
