Norway to send 22 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with US approval

As part of the fighter jet coalition, Norway is preparing to send 22 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, 12 of which are already in a serviceable condition.

According to Nettavisen, Norway has received permission from the United States to send 22 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as well as engines, auxiliary materials, simulators, spare parts and other related equipment.

This does not mean, however, that all of the 22 fighter jets are fully operational – some may be used for spare parts and repairs to other aircraft.

The Nettavisen article says 12 Norwegian F-16s may be airworthy: Norway had planned to sell them to the US company Draken International under a contract signed in December 2021.

"The sale agreement with Draken International does not seem to be going ahead, and the aircraft, which were to be used for training in the United States, will instead be used to protect Ukraine's airspace," the outlet reports.

Nettavisen did not specify a timeframe for when Ukraine might receive the Norwegian F-16s, but assumes it will not happen before the NATO summit in Washington in July this year.

Back in the summer of 2023, Norway confirmed that it had joined the F-16 coalition, but did not publicly state the number of fighter jets it would provide to Ukraine. According to Norwegian media reports at the time, the plan was to send about five to ten aircraft.

Norway sent several F-16 fighter jets to Denmark in early January 2024 to train Ukrainian pilots and support staff.