It was planned that the first aircraft would arrive in Ukraine at the end of December.

The delay in the transfer of Danish F-16 fighters to Ukraine is likely caused by problems with the construction of the necessary infrastructure for them in Ukraine, or with issues of reliable airfield cover. The military analytical publication Defense Express writes about this.

The Danish Ministry of Defense does not directly name the reasons for the delay, but admits that “the first six Ukrainian pilots are in the air over [военной авиабазой] Skrydstrup and could be ready for combat flights on the F-16 by the spring.” Therefore, the only reasons for the delay that remain are only issues of logistics and the readiness of ground infrastructure in Ukraine.

Its preparation could simply take longer than expected, writes Defense Express and adds that the issue of protecting airfields from missile attacks is no less pressing.

“In general, it is worth recalling once again that the transfer of the F-16 is an extremely complex process, during which certain difficulties may indeed arise. And even the fact that Norway plans to join the training program for pilots of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and plans to send them to Denmark two of its aircraft for these purposes in the spring-summer of this year, directly speaks of the real scale of this program, which in fact may well have its own “pitfalls,” experts note.

Delay in delivery of F-16 to Ukraine – what is known

As wrote, today a representative of the Danish Ministry of Defense issued a statement through the Danish media that the transfer of the first six F-16 fighters to Ukraine from Denmark will take place no earlier than the second quarter of 2024. It is alleged that these aircraft were initially planned to be delivered before the New Year.

The Danish Ministry of Defense claims that Ukraine has still not fulfilled a number of conditions so that the Ukrainian Air Force can fully use these fighters. However, exactly what conditions Ukraine did not fulfill is not specified.

However, it is worth noting that at the end of December the Netherlands already began preparing for the imminent transfer of their fighters to Ukraine. Whether this delivery will also be delayed is still unknown.