As of April, Norway has not transferred a single F-16 to Ukraine. This was confirmed by Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik, who has held the position since February last year. This comes despite earlier statements suggesting that deliveries had already begun.
In mid-January 2025, former Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram stated that “the first F-16 has been delivered and everything is going according to plan” following a meeting with France’s Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu. However, no details were provided, and Norway’s Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the number of aircraft transferred.
Read more: Argentina Details F-16 Training Timeline, Ukrainians Completed It in Record Time
F-16 fighter jets
More recently, Chief of Defence Eirik Kristoffersen noted that “the F-16 aircraft we have delivered to Ukraine are now an important part of its air defense.” However, this statement referred broadly to the international “fighter coalition” rather than specifically to Norwegian aircraft.
In practice, there are clear indications that Norway is facing serious challenges in delivering these jets. According to multiple sources cited by NRK, even the two Norwegian F-16s used to train Ukrainian pilots in Denmark were later sent to Sabena Engineering in Belgium for overhaul, where they have remained for over a year.
An additional four aircraft, which Norway also pledged to transfer, were reportedly in non-operational condition. In April last year, they were dismantled and shipped to the same Belgian facility.
Notably, Sabena Engineering is said to be facing significant capacity constraints in servicing and preparing F-16 aircraft. Sources indicate that preparing these jets for Ukraine could take around a year, even if work were to begin immediately. This suggests that, despite the aircraft being in Belgium for roughly a year, refurbishment may not yet have started.
According to an advisor to the Ukrainian Air Force, each of the four aircraft is missing approximately 100 components. Sourcing these parts could create additional delays, further pushing back the delivery timeline.
Norway officially announced its intention to supply F-16s to Ukraine in August 2023. Even under an optimistic scenario, where refurbishment takes about a year, the total timeline could stretch to roughly three and a half years. This means the Ukrainian Air Force may not receive these aircraft until around spring 2027, assuming no further complications arise.
This is despite initial expectations that deliveries would begin in 2024.
At present, Norway is the second country in the fighter coalition that has yet to deliver any F-16s to Ukraine. Belgium is facing similar delays. Brussels pledged up to 30 aircraft, but deliveries have been postponed due to delays in receiving F-35 Lightning II fighters. Belgian officials have also claimed that Ukraine itself requested delays due to a shortage of trained pilots.
F-16 and F-35 fighter jets of the Belgian Air Force
Previously, Defense Express also reported on the cost of GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb munitions, which Ukraine actively employs from platforms such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon, Su-27, and MiG-29.