Netherlands decommissions F-16 jets for transfer to Ukraine – video
F-16 (Photo by Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands)

On September 27, the Royal Netherlands Air Force held a ceremony to bid farewell to their F-16 fighter jets, officially decommissioning them from the national military and pledging to transfer them to Ukraine, according to the Dutch Ministry of Defense press service.

"The F-16 era is over for the Air Force, but not for the F-16s. Of the aircraft that were neither sold nor decommissioned over the years, 14 of the promised 18 are now in Romania. They are being used to train fighter pilots, not only Romanian but also Ukrainian. And the Netherlands is gifting Ukraine the last of its F-16s to help fight against the Russians," the statement reads.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force operated the F-16s for 45 years. They will now be replaced by new F-35 jets.

Read also: US to train additional 18 Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets in 2025

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