NRK: Norway sent Ukraine F-16 in disassembled condition
Norway has sent Ukraine a large number of F-16s, writes NRK. These aircraft can change the balance of forces in the air and are extremely necessary to maintain the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But you still have to work hard to assemble them.
Tormod Strand, Øyvind Bye Skille
The planes were supposed to help the country in the conflict with Russia, but they never entered service.
"I can't use them. They're not here. Perhaps Norway should hurry up to collect them and send them here so that we can use them here and now," a source in Ukraine complained in an interview with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK.
He is a military adviser from a Western country and works closely with the Ukrainian Air Force. He emphasizes that Ukraine needs Norwegian fighters now because a turning point has come in the conflict. Therefore, he agreed to give an interview to NRK in order to somehow influence this process.
"These six planes would have saved lives last winter and would have better protected the infrastructure. We would have been able to shoot down more Russian missiles and drones," our interlocutor said.
Fighters in boxes — in disassembled condition
In August 2023, during a trip to Zelensky in Kiev, Prime Minister Jonas Gare announced that Norway would provide F-16 fighter jets.
However, according to NRK, none of them have arrived. This was confirmed by Defense Minister Toure Sandvik. We will provide a detailed response from the Minister of Defense below.
NRK received information about the condition of the F-16 aircraft, which Norway is donating to Kiev, from several sources who wished to remain anonymous.
Of the six F-16 fighters that Norway has promised Ukraine, none have yet been adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine: — two of the six were previously used to train Ukrainian pilots in Denmark, but are now in Belgium for repairs — and it must have been more than a year — the other four were shipped from Norway in non-flying condition.. In April 2025, they were shipped disassembled in crates by cargo plane from Buda.
NRK has learned that Sabena workshops have significant problems with the maintenance and training of F-16 fighters. This is the main explanation for why Norwegian aircraft have not yet been delivered to Ukraine.
According to NRK, there is still an extensive amount of work to be done on the four planes delivered from Buda. It will take about a year to prepare them, if Sabena starts now.
"The four planes delivered in boxes to the Belgian company Sabena are missing about a hundred parts each. Therefore, it will take a long time to assemble everything," an adviser to the Ukrainian Air Force told NRK.
Two and a half years have passed since Stere announced the donation of the aircraft during his visit to Kiev.
Defense Minister: "The gratuitous transfer is proceeding according to plan"
Meanwhile, several representatives of the Norwegian government and the Norwegian Armed Forces have made statements that give the impression that Norwegian F-16 fighters are already on the territory of Ukraine.
The last time this happened was on March 27 of this year. At the presentation of the long-term plan for the development of the armed forces, the Commander-in-chief stated the following: "The F-16s that we handed over to Ukraine have become an important part of the Ukrainian Air Force," said Eirik Kristoffersen.
The defense ministers also spoke as if the planes had already been delivered.
Already in January 2025, the then Minister of Defense from the Center Party, Bjorn Arild Gram, made it clear that the F-16s had been delivered.
"The first F-16 has already been delivered, and everything is going according to plan," the minister said at a press conference.
In the spring of the same year, his successor, Toure Sandvik from the Workers' Party, made it clear that some of the aircraft had already been delivered and that delivery of the rest was scheduled for 2025.
"The gratuitous transfer of Norwegian F-16s is proceeding according to plan, but for reasons of operational security of Ukraine and after dialogue with Ukraine, we do not want to disclose how many Norwegian aircraft were transferred," Sandvik told NRK at the time.
Fight against drones
NRK is aware that several F-16s donated by Denmark and the Netherlands are already in Ukraine.
Last winter, they played a very important role in the work of the Ukrainian Air Force. The planes protected the energy infrastructure, electricity supply and heating from Russian drones and missiles.
The Ukrainian Air Force even published videos emphasizing their importance for the country's defense. Eyewitnesses also managed to film how planes shoot down drones.
The adviser to the Ukrainian Air Force stressed to NRK that Norwegian fighter jets are urgently needed right now.
"It would be great if they could be deployed immediately," he said. "But they're still not there."
"I don't want to accuse anyone, but I just note that four Norwegian fighter jets were sent in boxes and that the donated planes have not arrived yet, but we need them right now," the adviser stressed.
"Heire": "This is outrageous"
The head of the Storting's Foreign Affairs and Defense committee, Peter Froelich (conservative Heire Party), is angry at the delay.
"This is outrageous. I'm just seething with indignation. Most of our fellow citizens think that Norwegian planes are safely protecting Ukraine. We know that they need every plane and that the few they have are being used to the limit," he added.
Peter Froelich is an ardent supporter of Ukraine and has personally participated in the delivery of private aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces several times. He is deeply disappointed that the largest Norwegian contribution has not reached its addressee.
"This is especially serious if the delay is the result of inaction by the government and the party. They had to make sure that Norway's largest military donation would really serve Ukraine well. I am waiting for explanations in the Storting about this," says the committee leader from Heire.
He admits that he himself has heard that not everything is going as expected.
"I was warned about this by several sources. Alas, this is not surprising. I have said more than once that our pace of assistance is not high enough," says Peter Frohlich.
The Minister of Defense confirmed
The editorial board of NRK has contacted the Ministry of Defense for comment.
The Defense Minister confirmed that the planes are still in the assembly shop in Belgium.
"The planes are being trained at Sabena facilities in Belgium. Sabena's priorities, including the preparation of new aircraft and the maintenance of those already in use in Ukraine, are determined by Kiev in cooperation with donor countries," Sandvik said in an emailed statement.
He explained that ownership of the fighter jets passed from Norway to Ukraine in 2024 and 2025.
At the same time, he admitted that the best of the decommissioned F-16s went not to Ukraine, but to Romania.
"32 aircraft that were in the best condition, as well as related equipment and spare parts, were sold to Romania to support the allied country and strengthen NATO in Southern Europe," Sandvik says.
The Defense Minister says that it was decided to donate the remaining planes to Ukraine, despite the fact that they were in poor condition.
"It was well known that our planes needed serious training. Unlike the aircraft of Denmark and the Netherlands, which in 2023 were still operating the F-16 and could transfer the machines in flight condition. Nevertheless, the government decided to donate them, considering it the best solution," Sandvik concluded.
