Ukraine Receives NATO-Aided F-16 Fighter Jets and Holds Commissioning Ceremony

Recently, the Ukrainian military held a highly publicized commissioning ceremony for the F-16 fighter jets aided by NATO countries, with President Zelenskyy in attendance and delivering a speech. Additionally, the Ukrainian military also released to the outside world a flight training video of the F-16 fighter jets painted with the yellow trident emblem of the Ukrainian Air Force.

On August 4, 2024, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy presided over the commissioning ceremony of the F-16 fighter jets provided by Denmark and the Netherlands into the Ukrainian Air Force at a ceremony marking the Day of the Ukrainian Air Force at an airport near Kyiv and addressed Ukrainian soldiers at the scene. He stated that Ukrainian pilots have begun to use the F-16 fighter jets in combat, but he did not disclose the number of these aircraft that Ukraine has received.

At the ceremony, Zelenskyy said, "We often heard the word 'impossible', but we still fulfilled our ambitions and defense needs. This has become a reality, a reality in our skies." He thanked Ukraine's partners, especially Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States, for enabling Ukraine to receive the F-16 fighter jets. He also pointed out that currently, "the number of F-16 fighter jets that have arrived in Ukraine and the number of pilots who have received training are still insufficient, but the partners understand the required quantity."

Furthermore, it is reported that currently, 25 Ukrainian military pilots have completed the entire flight training course for the F-16 fighter jets and have been certified to carry out combat missions. At the commissioning ceremony of the F-16 fighter jets, two F-16s armed with missiles appeared at the induction ceremony.

According to the current available information, the Ukrainian Air Force initially received 10 F-16 fighter jets. Among them, 2 provided by the United States were not flight-capable and were only used as teaching aids for ground crew training or for providing spare parts, while the 4 aircraft provided by Denmark and the Netherlands each (a total of 8) should have full combat capabilities.