Belgium's military leadership has emphatically ruled out the possibility of deploying Belgian F-16s to Ukraine due to their decommissioned status within Belgium.

This revelation was first reported by De Standaard on Monday.

In an interview, Lieutenant Frédéric Goetynck, who oversees material resources for the Belgian army, made it clear that sending these aircraft to Ukraine is an untenable proposition. "It's inconceivable to dispatch planes to Ukraine that are no longer deemed fit for use in our own country," he asserted. "It's not a matter of willingness, but rather a matter of the aircraft's condition. By the time they are retired, these planes will have undergone extensive flight hours, resulting in structural wear and tear."

Belgian Minister of Defence Ludivine Dedonder echoed this sentiment during a parliamentary session in May, underscoring that these F-16s are approaching the end of their operational lifespan.

Belgium has already extended support to Ukraine by providing automatic weapons, Lynx armored vehicles, over 200 Volvo trucks, ammunition, fuel, and medical supplies. However, Lieutenant Goetynck clarified that the forthcoming delivery of F-35s does not imply that Belgium can furnish older F-16s to Ukraine.

The notion that Ukraine might disregard strict flight-hour regulations does not hold weight, according to Goetynck. "It's akin to sending expired medicines. Would you send them to Africa? If we dispatch aircraft that are no longer deemed safe, knowing they have structural issues, to Ukraine, we would potentially jeopardize the lives of the pilots involved." Photo by Capt. Tana R.H. Stevenson, U.S. Air Force, Wikimedia commons.