Belgium F-16 Jets for Ukraine: 10 to Be Delivered by Year-End

Belgium will deliver 10 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine before the end of 2026, Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Thursday, Oct. 15, after meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the European Union summit in Brussels. The Belgium F-16 Ukraine pledge is meant to help Kyiv defend its cities, power grid and Black Sea grain exports against Russia’s growing use of jet-powered attack drones.

The Belgium F-16 deal at a glance

• Size: 10 F-16s this year. Under commitments made by Belgium’s previous government, the country planned to hand over about 30 F-16s by 2028 as new F-35s arrive, Ukrinform reported, citing The Brussels Times. No price or cost figure was given.
• Start: Announced Oct. 15, 2026, at De Wever’s press conference after the first day of the summit.
• End: All 10 jets are due by Dec. 31, 2026. The wider handover is tied to the pace of Belgium’s F-35 deliveries, with 2028 as the earlier target.
• Context: On Sept. 29, Zelensky had said Belgium would provide three F-16s by year’s end, the Kyiv Independent reported. The new figure is more than three times that.
• Impact: De Wever described the F-16 as one of the few weapons that can protect effectively against Russian jet-powered drones.

Why the jets were delayed

“We will supply 10 this year. We have fallen a little behind because of delays with the F-35s, but those are now starting to arrive, which will enable us to send F-16s to Ukraine,” De Wever said, according to Belga News Agency. “Ukraine urgently needs operational jets, and we can help with that.”

Belgium is replacing its aging F-16 fleet with U.S.-made F-35s. Each new F-35 that enters Belgian service frees up an older F-16 for transfer, so delays in the American program have rippled into Ukraine’s air war.

What the F-16s are for

De Wever said Ukraine needs operational jets to provide cover “to protect its grain exports across the Black Sea, for example, which the Russians are targeting, as well as its energy infrastructure and urban areas,” Belga reported. Ukrainian pilots use the F-16 both to intercept Russian missiles and drones and to fire weapons at Russian positions near the front line.

The threat is shifting. The Kyiv Independent reported that Russia’s Geran-5, a jet-powered drone shaped more like a missile, flies higher and faster than older Shahed-type drones and is significantly harder to shoot down. Russian drones have struck supermarkets, data centers, gas stations and power facilities. Zelensky said on Oct. 18 that Russia had launched almost 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs and 66 missiles at Ukraine over the past week, Al Jazeera reported.

After the meeting, Zelensky thanked De Wever on X. “At present, F-16s are playing a significant role in repelling attacks by ‘Shaheds’. We are working with Belgium to secure additional fighter aircraft as soon as possible,” he wrote. “We also discussed the possibility of receiving additional ammunition.”

Ammunition and the Euroclear question

The two leaders discussed Belgian supplies of F-16 ammunition, including rounds made by FN Herstal, the Belgian arms maker, according to Anadolu Agency. Zelensky separately said Ukraine had secured contracts and assurances from partners for more F-16 ammunition and that deliveries were at a “satisfactory level,” the Kyiv Independent reported.

They also talked about Ukraine’s funding needs. De Wever said the EU “must continue to support Ukraine” but gave few details on using frozen Russian assets, most of which are held at Euroclear in Belgium. Last year, Belgium opposed using those assets for a “reparations loan” to Ukraine, citing legal and financial risks.

How the pledge fits the wider war

The F-16 commitment arrives during one of the most intense phases of the air war. Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight into Oct. 18, including a strike that set fire to a St. Petersburg oil terminal, while Russia kept hitting Ukrainian substations. Europe’s eastern flank is also asking for help against drones, as seen in Bulgaria’s request to NATO for jets and anti-drone systems. Meanwhile, Washington’s waiver of Graham Act sanctions on Russia has added to European pressure to fill gaps in support for Kyiv.

Featured photo: A Belgian Air Component F-16 prepares to take off at Mwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan, in May 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Wolfram M. Stumpf, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

Sources

• Belga News Agency: Zelenski and De Wever discuss Ukraine’s needs, including F-16s and Euroclear
• Kyiv Independent: Belgium promises to deliver 10 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this year
• Ukrinform: Belgium to deliver 10 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this year, De Wever says
• Anadolu Agency: Belgium to deliver 10 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this year, says premier
• Al Jazeera: Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s St Petersburg kills 1, hits energy sites