Ukraine: The F-16 fighter jets, why they could be so significant, and when they can be delivered
The US has approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to enhance the country’s air defence in the wake of a barrage of Russian missiles.
But how many will be delivered, and which countries will provide them?
US President Joe Biden authorised Western allies to give advanced F-16 fighter jets – a move the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark have welcomed.
On Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “The UK will work together with the USA and the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to get Ukraine the combat air capability it needs. We stand united.”
Here’ Sky News takes a closer look at the F-16 fighter jets and their significance.
Why would F-16s be so important for the war?
Sky News’ military analyst Sean Bell says that although Russia has more tanks and aircraft, the people of Ukraine are proving tenacious and courageous on the battlefield.
This satellite image provided by MaxarTechnologies shows the demolished university buildings and the radio tower in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Pic:AP
Ukraine has gained confidence with the West providing more support and longer-range weapons. However, at the moment, Mr Bell said Zelenskyy has been asking for the capability for the past year, adding “fighter aircraft are the one thing that he can’t match Russia with.”
He adds that if the west provides manned combat aircraft, then the Russian air force “most certainly wouldn’t stand a chance.”
The F-16s hold significance in supporting Ukrainians in the war, but Mr Bell says it might take months or even years for military troops to learn how to operate the aircraft.
He said: “So this is not something unlike most of the narratives in the west, by just giving equipment.
“This is about giving capability. And Zelenskyy has been banging the drum up until now.
“The west has been reluctant to do that because they know it will take time, but it would prove a very decisive capability in this conflict.”
What are the F-16s?
The F-16 is built by the American defence contractor Lockheed Martin.
A General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon fighter jet, belonging to the Royal Netherlands Air Force
It is a multi-role fighter aircraft created for the United States Air Force.
The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other equipment.
Its payload typically consists of two 2,000lb (907kg) bombs, two AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, two AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missiles and two 2,400lb (1088kg) external fuel tanks.
The jet can travel at speeds up to 1,500mph and has a range of more than 2,002 miles.
It has a wingspan of 32ft 8in (9.9m) and a length of 49ft 5in (13.8m). It weighs 19,700lb (8935kg) without fuel and has a maximum takeoff weight of 37,500lb (17010kg).
There is both a single-seat and two-seat model of the aircraft.
A US-made F-16 fighter jet drops flares during the annual Han Kuang No. 22 Military Exercise in 2006.
In 1991, during the Gulf War, F-16s were used to attack airfields, military production facilities and other targets.
It has also been used and flown in American conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and the Persian Gulf.
They are operated by several countries other than the US, including Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
When can F-16s be realistically delivered?
There are two key factors to think about.
As F-16s are produced by the US, the Americans would need to provide permission to other nations to give their F-16 aircraft.
“The second thing is F-16s are the most widely exported aircraft in the world as there are a lot of them about,” Bell adds.
There are two factors to consider for the F-16s plan to fall into place.
First, training must take place to ensure pilots can fly the aircraft.
And second, it’s important to think about how the F-16s will actually be delivered.
Bell added: “Although there’s lots of countries operating them because it’s so expensive, nobody has more aircraft than they need, and nobody could afford to give to 20 to 30 of these platforms to Ukraine.”
Which countries could provide F-16s?
At the moment, there are around 25 countries that currently operate the F-16.
A Turkish Air Force F16 fighter jet makes a landing approach at the Incirlik Air Base, Turkey in 2013. AP
The fighter jets come at a high price, and Bell says that although many countries have them, “none of them have spare aircraft.”
He adds: “They’re just too expensive. You generally buy what you can afford and that’s not enough for everything you want to have them for.
“So none of the nations will be able to get rid of excess jets. But I suspect what will happen is that they will need to focus on a commonality of jets.
“So who operates a certain block and a certain age of aircraft and see whether there is some shuffling behind the scenes that different countries can give each other aircraft so that you get a common aircraft that comes to Ukraine.”
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How soon could Ukraine start using it?
US officials have estimated that it could take 18 months for training and delivery of the jets.
On Monday, Emmanuel Macron said France was open to training Ukrainian pilots straight away.
London has agreed to start training pilots in the spring and said it would look at shortening the sessions for experienced Ukrainian pilots.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday: “This is not about gifting weapon systems.
“This is about gifting a platform. If anyone follows Formula One, you don’t just gift a car, you have to gift a pit team.”
A crash between two oil tankers on a major shipping route near the UAE was likely caused by a navigational misjudgement by one of the vessels, officials have said.
The Adalynn and Front Eagle tankers collided and caught on fire on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
Israel-Iran latest: Tehran warns US against intervention
In a statement issued today, the United Arab Emirates’ energy ministry did not draw any link between the crash and an upsurge in electronic interference amid the Israel-Iran conflict.
Interference has disrupted navigation systems near the strait since the two countries began firing missiles at each other last week.
The multinational US-led Combined Maritime Force’s Joint Maritime Information Centre said in an advisory this week that it had received reports of interference stemming from near Iran’s Port of Bandar Abbas and other areas in the Gulf region.
Tehran has not commented on the collision or reports of interference.
The UAE coastguard said it evacuated 24 people from the Adalynn, while personnel on Front Eagle were reported safe with no pollution visible after a fire on its deck.
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The Strait of Hormuz – which handles around a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil – links the Gulf to the northwest with the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea beyond.
The Adalynn, owned by a company based in India, had no cargo and was sailing towards the Suez Canal in Egypt, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.
The Front Eagle was on its way to Zhoushan in China – and loaded with two million barrels of Iraqi crude oil, the tracker said.
TankerTrackers.com said on X that the Front Eagle was moving southbound at a speed of 13.1 knots when it “executed a starboard [right] turn, resulting in a collision” with the Adalynn.
The exact cause of the collision, which resulted in no injuries or spills, is still unclear.
US President Donald Trump says he has yet to decide whether the US will join Israel militarily in its campaign against Iran.
Asked whether the US was getting closer to striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, Mr Trump said: “I may do it. I may not do it.”
Speaking outside the White House on Wednesday, he added: “Nobody knows what I’m going to do…Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.
“And I said, ‘why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction?'”
Mr Trump said Iran had reached out to Washington, a claim Tehran denied, with Iran’s mission to the UN responding: “No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House.”
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not surrender and warned “any US military intervention will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage” to US-Iranian relations.
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Why did Israel attack Iran?
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The families caught up in Iran-Israel attacks
Strikes continue
Hundreds have reportedly died since Iran and Israel began exchanging strikes last Friday, when Israel launched an air assault after saying it had concluded Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, a claim Tehran denies.
Israel launched three waves of aerial attacks on Iran in the last 24 hours, military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin has said.
Israel deployed dozens of warplanes to strike over 60 targets in Tehran and western Iran, including missile launchers and missile-production sites, he said.
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Can Iran’s leadership be toppled?
“The aim of the operation is to eliminate the existential threat to the State of Israel, significantly damage Iran’s nuclear programme in all its components, and severely impact its missile array,” he said.
Early on Thursday Israel issued an evacuation warning to residents of the Iranian Arak region where Iran has heavy water reactor facilities. Heavy water is important in controlling chain reactions in the production of weapons grade plutonium.
Meanwhile Iran says it has arrested 18 people it describes as “enemy agents” who it says were building drones for the Israelis in the northern city of Mashhad.
Iran also launched small barrages of missiles at Israel on Wednesday with no reports of casualties. Israel has now eased some restrictions for its civilians.
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The US is working to evacuate its citizens from Israel by arranging flights and cruise ship departures, the US ambassador to the country has said.
In the UK, Sir Keir Starmer chaired a COBRA emergency meeting on the situation in the Middle East, with a Downing Street spokesperson saying: “Ministers were updated on efforts to support British nationals in region and protect regional security, as well as ongoing diplomatic efforts”.
The UK government’s top legal adviser has raised questions over whether Israel’s actions in Iran are lawful, according to a source familiar with discussions inside the government.
The source suggested to Sky News that Attorney General Richard Hermer’s thinking, which has not been published, complicates the UK’s potential involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict.
If the attorney general deems Israel’s actions in Iran to be unlawful then the UK is restricted in its ability to help to defend Israel or support the United States in any planned attacks on Iran.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said that the attorney general’s concerns limit UK involvement in the conflict “unless our personnel are targeted”.
US President Donald Trump is currently weighing up his options for Iran and has repeatedly suggested the US could get involved militarily.
Members of the Israeli special forces check the remains of a suspected ballistic missile in northern Israel.
Pic: Reuters
This would likely involve the use of US B-2 bombers to drop bunker-busting bombs to destroy Iran’s nuclear facility built deep into the side of a mountain at Fordow.
These B-2 bombers could be flown from the UK base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, strategically close to Iran.
The US could also choose to fly them the far greater distance from the US mainland.
Under a long-standing convention, the UK grants permission to the US for the base to be used for military operations.
The US military could also request the use of the UK military base in Cyprus, for refuelling planes.
Any refusal by the British could complicate US military action and, diplomatically, put pressure on the trans-Atlantic relationship.
Israel’s justification
Israel has justified its war by claiming that Iran poses an “imminent” and “existential” threat to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cited his country’s own undisclosed intelligence claiming Iran was on the brink of obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The Israeli government also claimed, without publishing evidence, that Iran was planning an imminent attack on Israel.
They also cited the recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report which concluded that Iran had been “less than satisfactory” in “a number of respects” on its international compliance over its nuclear activities.
It is not clear what aspect of Israel’s justification for military action the attorney general has concerns over.
The Attorney General’s Office has told Sky News: “By long-standing convention, reflected in the ministerial code, whether the law officers have been asked to provide legal advice and the content of any advice is not routinely disclosed.
“The convention provides the fullest guarantee that government business will be conducted at all times in light of thorough and candid legal advice.”
The UK armed forces have previously rallied to help defend Israel from Iranian missile and drone strikes when the two sides engaged in direct confrontation last year.
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Michael Clarke and Dominic Waghorn answer your questions about the Israel-Iran conflict
In April 2024, RAF typhoon jets shot down drones fired from Iran.
The UK military was also involved in efforts to defend Israel from a ballistic missile attack in October 2024.
But the UK has not been involved in the current conflict, which began when Israel targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and scientists as well as more definitive military targets such as missile launchers and commanders.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog has previously raised concerns about any attack against nuclear facilities because of the inherent danger but also the legality.
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A number of resolutions passed by the IAEA’s general conference has said “any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency”.
Israel believes that Iran’s nuclear programme has a military use, which makes it a legitimate target.
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It believes the regime is aimed to enrich uranium to develop nuclear weapons.
Tehran, however, has always insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian use.
The site of an Iranian missile attack on Israel. Pic: Reuters
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has also condemned Israel’s use of armed force against Iran as a violation of the United Nations (UN) Charter and international law.
Interpretations of International Law
Different countries adopt varying interpretations on the use of force in response to future attacks.
The first legal position is that nations can act preventatively to deflect threats.
The second is that they can act to deflect future armed attacks that are imminent.
The third is that states can only act to deflect attacks that have occurred.
An oil storage facility after it appeared to have been struck by an Israeli missile in Tehran. Pic: AP
That third position is generally considered to be too restrictive and the first as too broad.
The grey area lies with the second position, and it rests with the definition of “imminent”.
The concepts of “proportionality”, “necessity” and “imminence” are key considerations.
International law scholars have told Sky News that Israel may pass the “proportionality” test in its actions against Iran because its targets appear to have been military and nuclear.
But whether there was the “necessity” to attack Iran at this point is more questionable.
The attorney general would likely be considering the key legal test of the ‘imminence’ of the Iranian threat against Israel – and whether it is reasonable to conclude that an attack from Iran was “imminent” – as he weighs the legal advice issued to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
There is always nuance with legal advice, judgements rest on a variety of factors and advice can evolve.
In the run up to the 2003 Gulf War, the US and UK justified their action by arguing that Saddam Hussein possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction – a claim that turned out to be wrong.
The then-attorney general’s advice, which evolved, was central to Tony Blair’s decision to join President Bush in attacking Iraq.
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