Lieutenant-General Frederik Gethink, head of the Belgian army’s logistics department, has said that it is completely impossible to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, which Brussels has decided to write off. This was reported by the De Standaard newspaper.
Frédéric Gentic said that Belgium would not supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The Brussels authorities decided to write off these aircraft. According to the politician, it is impossible to use the fighter jets because they are too worn out and will endanger the pilots’ lives. He emphasised that this is “like supplying expired medicines to Africa”.
“It’s not that we don’t want to do it, but when our aircraft are retired, they are worn out. These planes have already flown so many hours that their structure is just worn out. You cannot send aircraft to Ukraine that you yourself will no longer use,” the lieutenant-general said.
The head of the department noted that Belgium “sent to Ukraine automatic weapons, Lynx armoured vehicles and more than 200 Volvo trucks, as well as ammunition, fuel and medicines”. He clarified, the dispatch of the above-mentioned items does not indicate that F-16 fighter jets will be sent to Ukraine.
“However, it does not mean that we will soon be able to send old F-16s to Ukraine as soon as the first F-35s are delivered to us,” the politician added.
The expert notes that “the argument that Ukrainians themselves are unlikely to adhere to strict rules regarding the maximum number of flight hours does not stand up to criticism.” According to him, it is the same argument when sending almost expired medicines to Africa.
“It’s the same reasoning as for near-expired medicines. Do you still ship them to Africa? If you send to Ukraine an aircraft that is already unsafe and that you know has cracks in the hull, you risk endangering the pilot’s life,” Gethink concluded.
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