The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) has said goodbye to its last F-16 fighters with a special flyover across Dutch cities. These planes, which have served for 45 years, will now be transferred to Ukraine, according to an announcement from the Dutch Ministry of Defense.
Over a year and a half ago, Western allies made the decision to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighters. Since then, Ukraine has received around 12 of these aircraft. However, President Zelenskyy has stated that Russia has around 300 fighter jets being used against Ukraine.
Although the F-16 era has ended for the RNLAF, it is not the end for these planes. The Ministry stated that out of the remaining aircraft that have not been sold or decommissioned, 14 of the promised 18 are now in Romania. Here, both Romanian and Ukrainian fighter pilots are being trained. The Netherlands is donating its last F-16s to Ukraine to aid in their fight against Russian aggression.
On August 4th, during the Ukrainian Air Force Day celebrations, Ukraine displayed its first F-16 fighters. In total, the Ukrainian Air Force will receive 24 F-16 fighters from the Netherlands as part of the international aviation coalition.
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