Half of Ukraine's F-16s undergoing repairs in Europe, with returns delayed – Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that around half of Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets spend extended periods in Europe undergoing repairs and maintenance. He said the return of some aircraft is delayed for so long that Ukraine loses valuable time when the fighter jets are most needed to protect its airspace.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the Financial Times, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The president spoke about the difficulties Ukraine faces in countering Russian drone attacks. He said F-16 fighter jets had proved effective against new Russian jet-powered drones, but too many of the aircraft – around half – spend extended periods in Europe undergoing repairs and maintenance.

Zelenskyy also said Kyiv was seeking help from its Western partners to move more maintenance work to Ukraine, arguing that keeping the aircraft closer to the theatre of operations would allow them to be returned to service more quickly.

He stressed that efforts to keep pace with Russian drone capabilities were facing obstacles, including a shortage of engines for interceptor drones.

"Engines [are] the key, we really import a lot of engines. There are some engines of our production, but not enough," Zelenskyy said.

Background:

• In late September, Zelenskyy announced an agreement with Belgium under which Ukraine is to receive three F-16 fighter jets by the end of the year.
• He also recently told the Norwegian prime minister about Ukraine's need for air defence systems and support for its F-16 fleet.

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