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Some F-16s have already been delivered to the international training center based in Romania to train pilots, including those from Ukraine.
Lieutenant General of the Royal Dutch Air Force Andre “Jabba” Steur said this in an exclusive comment to an Ukrinform correspondent of Ukrinform in The Hague.
“In total, we have 42 aircraft left. That leaves 42 F-16s remaining, and 18 of those F-16s will go to Romania. Some have already been delivered for pilot training, including Ukrainian pilots in Romania, and the rest, 24 F-16s, will be delivered to Ukraine,” he said.
Answering the question of whether the F-16s that will later be deployed in Ukraine were involved in the farewell flight ceremony in the Dutch sky, Steur said: “I can’t say for sure whether there were planes that would later go to Romania or to Ukraine. So it can be both.”
According to him, “F-16s are important for Ukraine, because I think it is important to have air superiority.”
He also noted that for the Netherlands, there are two aspects to bidding farewell to the F-16s.
“On the one hand, it’s a sad day because we say goodbye to an incredible, wonderful aircraft that has served the Netherlands and peace in the Netherlands for 45 years. But on the other hand, it is also a day to celebrate with all the people who have played an important role in the history of these aircraft. To see all these people here together today is very special. So it’s both joy and tears.”
As Ukrinform reported, a farewell flight of F-16 fighters took place in the Netherlands on September 27.
Eight F-16 fighter jets took off from Volkel Air Base. The event was broadcast live.
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