The Netherlands will soon deliver the first of the promised 24 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the previous government of the country announced yesterday, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
The necessary permits for the delivery of the fighter jets to Ukraine have been issued, Defense Minister Kaisa Olongren said in a letter to parliament ahead of the upcoming change of government after months of coalition building following last year's election.
She declined to specify how many planes would be in the first delivery and when they would arrive in Ukraine for security reasons.
The Netherlands is one of the driving forces behind the international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s aimed at strengthening its air defense against Russia.
Earlier, the Dutch government delivered F-16s to a training center in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel are trained to operate and maintain the aircraft in combat conditions. Olongren said in April that he expected the promised deliveries from Denmark, the Netherlands and the US to begin within a few months.
In a separate statement yesterday, French technology concern Thales announced a fivefold increase in the production of guided missiles at its site in Herstal, Belgium, with the aim of increasing the "combat capability of Europe's armed forces,", Agence France-Presse reported.
Production of the 70mm laser-guided missiles will increase from 1,000 to 5,000 by 2025, the group said.
Given "current geopolitical challenges, this initiative will help strengthen Belgium's strategic autonomy and ensure peace and security in Europe," said Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder in a statement to the media.
According to Thales, this missile model can be used on "multiple air, land or sea platforms", in anti-drone and ground-to-ground strikes. This increase in production rates has necessitated an investment plan worth more than 20 million euros, supported in particular by the European Union, which wants to massively increase the production of ammunition in Europe by 2025.
In early June, the group announced that Ukraine's Defense Ministry had purchased a second full air defense system to "help defend its territory" from the Russian army.