During a visit to Kyiv in August 2023, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced that his country would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Yet so far none of the aircraft has been delivered to Ukrainian territory. Source: NRK, as reported by European Pravda Details: NRK obtained information from several sources speaking on condition of anonymity regarding the status of the F-16s gifted by Norway to Ukraine. Of the six F-16s promised, not a single one has been delivered to Ukraine yet. Two of the six jets were previously used to train Ukrainian pilots in Denmark, but they are currently being repaired in Belgium. They are reported to have been there for over a year. The other four F-16s were not flight-ready when they were shipped from Norway. They were sent in parts by transport aircraft, packed in crates, in April 2025. All of them are still at the same Sabena workshop in Belgium. NRK understands there are significant capacity issues at the Sabena workshop for servicing and preparing F-16s. This is the main reason why the Norwegian jets have yet to reach Ukraine. The four crated jets require extensive work, and it could take around a year to get them ready if Sabena starts work now. "Each of the four aircraft delivered in crates to Sabena in Belgium is missing roughly 100 parts. Assembling them will take a lot of time," a Ukrainian army consultant told NRK on condition of anonymity. Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik confirmed the jets are still at the Belgian workshop. "At present, the aircraft are undergoing preparation at Sabena in Belgium. Ukraine, in consultation with donor countries, sets the priorities at Sabena, including the preparation of new jets and maintenance of aircraft already in use in Ukraine," the minister said in an emailed statement. Sandvik added that ownership of the aircraft was transferred from Norway to Ukraine in 2024 and 2025. He acknowledged, however, that the F-16s that were in the best condition when Norway retired its F-16s were sent to Romania, not Ukraine. "The 32 aircraft in the best condition, along with repair equipment and spare parts, were later sold to Romania by agreement to support an allied country in strengthening NATO in Southern Europe," he said. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!