€ 300 miljoen extra om voor Oekraïne bestemde F-16’s te bewapenen
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Nederland maakt € 300 miljoen extra vrij voor de aankoop van munitie voor F-16’s die onder meer Nederland binnenkort aan Oekraïne levert. Dit komt bovenop de € 150 miljoen die al eerder is gereserveerd voor dit doel. Het gaat om F-16-bewapening die rechtstreeks bij de industrie wordt aangekocht. Minister Ruben Brekelmans meldde dit vandaag tijdens de NAVO-top in Washington.

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/14669386

The Netherlands is releasing an additional €300 million for the purchase of ammunition for F-16s that the Netherlands will soon deliver to Ukraine, among other countries. This is in addition to the €150 million that was previously reserved for this purpose. This concerns F-16 armament that is purchased directly from the industry. Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced this today during the NATO summit in Washington.

“The Ukrainians should not only be able to fly the F-16s. They should also be able to deploy the aircraft,” Brekelmans said. “Armament is therefore crucial. With the ammunition we purchase, the F-16s can help to repel Russian attacks. Putin’s aggression knows no bounds, our support must therefore continue at full speed. By purchasing this extra F-16 ammunition, we also want to send the message to Moscow that NATO allies will continue to support Ukraine unabated. Russia must not win this war, this is also in the interest of our security.”

Air Force Capability Coalition

The Netherlands, together with Denmark and the United States, leads the so-called Air Force Capability Coalition (AFCC).

The Netherlands is making 18 F-16s available for the European F-16 training centre in Romania. In addition, 24 Dutch F-16s will be transferred to Ukraine.

Operational safety

The handover of the first F-16s by the AFCC to Ukraine is fast approaching, from the perspective of operational security the details are communicated with restraint. This is also at the explicit request of Ukraine.