Ukraine said today that it was still using "intensively" its fleet of F-16 fighter jets, manufactured in the United States and supplied by its Western allies, in response to media reports that maintenance problems with the aircraft had largely rendered them inoperable, Agence France-Presse reported.
"Ukraine is using its F-16 fighter fleet intensively in difficult conditions. "Recent publications claiming that the level of combat readiness of the aircraft is catastrophically low and the terms for their technical maintenance are too long are simply untrue," wrote the former spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Georgy Tykhy, on the social network.
The American newspaper "Wall Street Journal" indicated on Wednesday that "the majority" of the F-16 fighters that Ukraine uses against Russian drone and missile attacks are out of order, as they are about to undergo a mandatory inspection after 300 flight hours, which is to be carried out by the Belgian company "Sabena Aerospace Engineering".
The newspaper adds that the Belgian company accuses the Ukrainian side of major delays.
In a statement published yesterday, "Sabena Aerospace Engineering" rejected these claims, expressing surprise at "incorrect information reporting major delays in critical maintenance programs".
Speaker Georgy Tykhy acknowledged that maintaining the aircraft was "a challenge", as it was an older model of the F-16, "for which some components are no longer produced and are increasingly difficult to supply".
However, he stressed that "Kiev's industrial partners continue to not only deliver repaired aircraft, but also do so at an accelerated pace". The spokesman called for "disinformation not to be allowed to weaken this important assistance".
The F-16 fighters will be most needed in the winter, when the country expects a new increase in Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Belgium would deliver an additional three F-16 fighters, of which the Ukrainian side received the first part in mid-2024.
However, Kiev did not receive many aircraft at that time and since 2024 has lost four aircraft during combat operations, according to official data. Problems with the training of Ukrainian pilots have also been reported.