COPENHAGEN, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States will spearhead a new international coalition to help Ukraine establish a future air force based on F-16 fighter jets, the Danish ministry of defence said on Wednesday.
The new coalition intends to build infrastructure around F-16s, including maintenance facilities to support the operation of the planes, the ministry said in a statement.
Denmark and the Netherlands were the first two countries to commit to donating F-16 jets to Ukraine, whose current air force has a fleet of ageing Soviet-era fighter jets, in its war with Russia.
“This is a natural move following the leading role Denmark already has in relation to the military support for Ukraine and especially in relation to the donation of F-16 fighter jets,” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
Denmark expects to deliver the first six of out of a total of 19 F-16s to Ukraine in March or April next year, he told broadcaster TV2 on Wednesday.
I’m not sure that has been finally decided yet. Sweden say they will send Gripen fighter jets if Turkey allow them into NATO.
This sounds very sensible to me, because as a NATO country Sweden will be better protected, and can more easily free some of their ressources.
Shame on Turkey for blocking Sweden’s entry into NATO.
Turkey has been a poor NATO partner under Erdogan.