F-16s promised by Norway in 2023 still in Belgian repair shop, yet to reach Ukraine - media
The F-16 aircraft that Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre promised to donate to Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv in August 2023 have still not been commissioned in Ukraine or deployed in the war, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported on Wednesday, citing its own sources.
"Two of the six aircraft were previously used to train Ukrainian pilots in Denmark but are now in a workshop in Belgium. They are said to have been there for over a year. The other four F-16s could not fly on their own when they were sent from Norway. They were shipped as parts in crates by cargo aircraft in April 2025. They are also at the same Sabena workshop in Belgium," the article reads.
The outlet reports significant capacity problems with the maintenance and preparation of F-16 aircraft at the Sabena workshop in Belgium, noting this is likely the main explanation for why the Norwegian F-16s are not yet in Ukraine. It also notes that the four aircraft require a large amount of work and will take about a year to prepare.
"The four aircraft delivered in crates to Sabena in Belgium are each missing around 100 parts. So it will take a long time to assemble them," an adviser from one of the Western countries working with the Ukrainian Air Force, whose name is not disclosed, told NRK.
He stressed that Ukraine urgently needs the Norwegian aircraft as it is at a critical stage of the war. "These six aircraft would have saved lives this winter and better protected infrastructure. We would have been able to shoot down more Russian missiles and drones," he said.
Norwegian Defence Minister Tore Sandvik confirmed the information and stressed in a comment to NRK that it is Ukraine, in coordination with donor countries, that "sets priorities at Sabena, including the preparation of new aircraft versus the maintenance of aircraft already in use." Sandvik maintains that ownership of the aircraft was transferred from Norway to Ukraine in 2024 and 2025.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the best F-16s Norway had when it stopped using the type were previously transferred to Romania. "The 32 aircraft that were in the best condition, as well as workshop equipment and spare parts, were then agreed to be sold to Romania to support an allied country in strengthening NATO in southern Europe," the minister said.
According to him, Norway decided to donate the remaining aircraft to Ukraine despite their poor condition. "It was well known that the aircraft required significant preparation. This is different from Denmark and the Netherlands, which were still operating F-16s in 2023 and could take an aircraft directly out of service. The government (of Norway - IF-U) still decided to donate these aircraft, as it was considered better than not donating," Sandvik said.
It is noted that several Norwegian government and armed forces representatives had previously made statements creating the impression that Norwegian F-16s were already deployed in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, many F-16s provided by Denmark and the Netherlands have been commissioned in Ukraine and helped protect energy infrastructure from Russian attacks last winter.
