The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives evaluated a series of notifications during the month of February proposing the transfer of 65 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon MLU fighter jets from Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands to Ukraine. Despite the mentioned countries expressing their intention to donate the aircraft, the estimated cost of the initiatives amounts to USD 1.683.5 billion, including spare engines, simulators, manuals, tools, and various materials for operating and sustaining the F-16s.
From the summary of the Foreign Affairs Committee, it is revealed that Denmark will make available six F-16 Block 10, thirteen F-16 Block 15 aircraft, additional engines, and support equipment. The transfer is valued at USD 87.5 million. It is worth noting that the Danish government has not only been one of the promoters of the initiative to provide F-16s to Ukraine but is also one of the few countries training pilots and technical personnel.
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In the case of Norway, the transfer includes up to 22 F-16 Block 10/15 aircraft, engines, support equipment, test benches, tools, maintenance materials, simulators, spare parts, manuals, and technical documents, among others. The document mentions that the original acquisition value is approximately USD 1.326 billion. Norway has made available a couple of F-16s for the training of Ukrainian crews, while also forming a core group of instructors to support the Danish effort.
The case of the Dutch RSAT was also discussed. On this occasion, it mentions 24 F-16 Block 10/15 aircraft as well as similar supplementary materials to those of Norway. The Dutch initiative initially involved the transfer of 18 fighters, however, that number would be expanded after the decision to cancel the sale of another six aircraft to the company Draken.
The Dutch commitment is such that in the last week of March, the Ministry of Defense announced the purchase of air-to-air missiles for the F-16s donated to Ukraine, an initiative valued at USD 150 million. In this way, the European state confirmed once again its commitment to supporting Ukraine in the context of the armed conflict it faces with Russia.
Zona Militaria.
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