US sends F-16s to Slovakia: First aircraft have arrived
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
On Monday, July 22, Slovakia received the first two of 14 new F-16 military aircraft from the United States, the delivery of which was delayed for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of chips, according to AP.
The remaining aircraft will be delivered gradually over two years.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini welcomed the arrival of the F-16s at the Kucina air base in western Slovakia on Monday evening, saying that the F-16s make a significant contribution to the defense capabilities of their country.
Pellegrini was prime minister in 2018 when the government signed a $1.8 billion deal to buy 14 U.S. F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets to replace aging Soviet MiG-29s.
Slovakia halted its MiGs in the summer of 2022 due to a lack of spare parts after Russian technicians returned home due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Last year, the Slovak government approved a plan to provide Ukraine with a fleet of 13 MiG-29s, becoming the second NATO member state to hear the Ukrainian government's request for military aircraft to defend against a Russian invasion.
In the absence of their own planes, NATO members Poland, Czechia, and later Hungary have undertaken to protect Slovakia's airspace.
Pellegrini believes that there should be no rush to start negotiations on Ukraine's NATO membership. This could allegedly lead to an escalation.
In early July, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first public appearance after being seriously injured in an assassination attempt. He criticized his liberal political opponents and praised his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán for his trips to Kyiv and Moscow.
