US sends decommissioned F-16s to Ukraine: Media reveals their purpose
Illustrative photo: The US has sent decommissioned F-16s to Ukraine (x.com/KSOSINT)
The United States of America has sent decommissioned F-16s to Ukraine. An An-124 aircraft was used for their delivery, TWZ reports.
According to the outlet, footage has appeared online showing partially disassembled F-16s being loaded onto a Ukrainian chartered An-124 cargo plane in Arizona. Flight trackers indicate that the aircraft was heading to Poland.
It is noted that the United States "supported the sustainment of European-donated F-16s to Ukraine by providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts."
While confirming the details of this, I found further pictures posted online by a local transportation company showing a third wrapped F-16 at Davis-Monthan and being loaded into the Antonov An-124. pic.twitter.com/xKCTAPxX03
— Keystone Intel (@KSOSINT) April 29, 2025
It is known that these fighter jets lack critical components such as engines or radars and cannot be restored for operational use.
Evidence suggesting that the F-16s were headed to Ukraine emerged last week when photos appeared on social media showing at least three F-16s, wrapped in plastic and missing wings, tails, engines, and radomes, being loaded onto an Antonov Airlines An-124 aircraft at Tucson International Airport in Arizona.
The An-124, registered as UR-82027, landed in Tucson on April 25. After loading the disassembled F-16s, it took off on April 26. The aircraft was bound for Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland, which serves as a key transit hub for delivering military equipment to Ukraine.
According to the outlet, the evidence strongly suggested that the US was supplying these jets to Ukraine, although there had been no official confirmation. There was also a possibility that they could have been intended for Poland — perhaps for spare parts or training — since Poland also operates F-16s. However, Poland’s aircraft are the more advanced F-16C/D Block 52+ models, unlike the older A/B models used by Ukraine.
F-16s for Ukraine
Ukraine received its first F-16 fighter jets in the summer of 2024. These jets have been used to intercept Russian missiles during large-scale attacks.
Later that same month, Ukraine lost its first aircraft.
The incident occurred during a massive Russian assault on August 26. It is known that the F-16 was engaging enemy targets and lost communication while approaching a new target. As a result, the F-16 crashed, and the pilot was killed.
In early January, a Ukrainian F-16 pilot shot down six enemy cruise missiles in a single sortie.
The exact number of F-16 jets transferred to Ukraine by its partners has not been disclosed.
