F-16 Fighting Falcon News

December 11, 2024 (by Lieven Dewitte) - The U.S. State Department has approved a potential foreign military sale (FMS) to Ukraine, covering sustainment services and related equipment for the country’s F-16 fighter jets, for an estimated cost of $266.4 million.
The proposed sale includes the Joint Mission Planning System, AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders, engine component improvement programs, spare and repair parts, classified and unclassified software, and personnel training. It also encompasses logistics, surveys, and maintenance support for Ukraine’s fleet of F-16 aircraft.

The approval was granted after the Ukrainian Government request to buy:

• The Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS)


• AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders (SKL)


• Engine Component Improvement Program (CIP)


• Spare and repair parts, consumables, and accessories


• Weapons software, weapons software support equipment, and classified and unclassified software and delivery support


• U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services.

The principal contractors will be Sabena, located in Charleroi, Belgium; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, located in Fort Worth, TX; and Pratt and Whitney, located in East Hartford, CT.

Various NATO members have pledged nearly 100 F-16s to Kyiv, including 42 jets from the Netherlands, 30 from Belgium, 6 from Norway and 19 from Denmark. The latter recently delivered a second batch to Ukraine while the first batch has already been successfully deployed to intercept Russian missiles.