Half of Ukraine’s F-16s are in Europe for maintenance, Zelenskyy says
About half of Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets are currently in Europe for repairs and maintenance, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, arguing that bringing some of the work to Ukraine would allow the aircraft to return to service faster.
Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that Ukraine wants to move part of the maintenance work onto Ukrainian territory with support from Western partners.
The issue has become increasingly important as Ukraine uses F-16s to counter Russia’s new jet-powered drones. Zelenskyy said the fighter jets have proved effective against the faster drones, making lengthy maintenance periods a problem for Ukraine’s air defenses.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that maintenance delays had left about half of Ukraine’s F-16 fleet unavailable for missions.
F-16s require extensive inspections after roughly 300 flight hours, including work on their engines, avionics, hydraulics, fuel lines and other systems.
Ukrainian F-16s are serviced by Belgium’s Sabena Aerospace Engineering. Retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery told the WSJ that the maintenance process there can take up to 40 weeks.