The Dutch government has canceled an agreement to sell its F-16 fighters to the private American company Draken International. About this May 20 informed Dutch analytical OSINT-project in the field of defense Oryx.
“The Netherlands has canceled a deal to sell the remaining F-16s to Draken International. It’s easy to guess where they will actually end up,” the report says.
The project also reposted a media report that Ukraine’s Western allies “have already decided to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine”, hinting that the Netherlands intends to give the planes to Ukraine. There is no confirmation that this decision has been made yet, at the moment only the possibility of training Ukrainian pilots on Western aircraft in a number of countries has been officially unlocked.
According to the profile magazine Scramble dedicated to aviation, the Dutch Ministry of Defense planned to write off 40 F-16 fighters by May 2024. They are gradually being replaced in the Netherlands Air Force by the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, the publication noted. Aeroflap .
In December 2021, Draken International stated on the conclusion of a contract with the government of the Netherlands for the purchase of F-16 and auxiliary equipment.
In June 2021 at the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands reported about the sale of 12 F-16 aircraft to Draken International, they were supposed to be transferred during 2022. It was explained that the planes would be used for government contracts, in particular, during (inter)national exercises on US soil and under the control of the US government.
“In addition, the contract includes an option to sell another 28 F-16s … It is expected that 28 option aircraft will be decommissioned by the end of 2024,” the document noted.
Draken International, LLC is an American supplier of tactical fighter aircraft for contract air transportation, including customers from the military and defense industries, as well as training services. The company also purchased aircraft from other countries, in particular from Norway.
Ukraine has been calling on its allies to provide it with Western-style combat aircraft since the start of a full-scale war, public discussions have intensified in recent months.
In May, the creation of the so-called aviation coalition was supported by three countries – Great Britain, France and the Netherlands. So far, we are talking only about training missions for Ukrainian pilots using Western aircraft. Readiness to train Ukrainian pilots was also expressed by Belgium, Portugal, Denmark.
At the same time, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that his government admits the possibility of transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. He noted that the Netherlands is discussing options for the supply of combat aircraft to Kyiv with Denmark, Great Britain, some other European countries, as well as with the United States.
At the May 19-21 G7 summit, US President Joe Biden said the US would support the efforts of allies and partners and take part in training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation aircraft, including the F-16.
The F-16 fighters, which Ukraine will receive from the allies, will be provided on the condition that they are not used for strikes on the territory of the aggressor country of the Russian Federation, the White House said on May 20.
Ukraine may receive the F-16 as early as this fall, hinted at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
#Netherlands #terminated #sale #F16 #fighters #private #company #media
2023-05-21 15:29:16
