Netherlands delivers F-16s to Ukraine, provides $440M for drones

PARIS — The Netherlands will deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine over the coming months, with the Dutch defense minister acknowledging for the first time that the handover of 24 warplanes to the embattled country is underway.

The Dutch will also provide €400 million ($439 million) to jointly develop and produce advanced drones for reconnaissance, defense and attack, mainly in the air but also on land and at sea, Ruben Brekelmans said on a surprise visit to the embattled country on Sunday.

“For the first time, I can officially announce that the first Dutch F-16s have been delivered to Ukraine,” Brekelmans said in a post on X , formerly Twitter, as he traveled to Kyiv as well as the city of Kharkiv. “This is urgently needed. In Kharkiv, I saw the damage from Russian airstrikes and heard frequent air raid alarms.”

Word about F-16s reaching Ukrainian forces first came over the summer following preparations by a coalition of European governments, led by the Netherlands and Denmark, to donate aircraft. The weapons are meant to help Ukraine repel Russian attacks, which have targeted population centers and critical infrastructure.

Dutch Chief of Defence Gen. Otto Eichelsheim addressed his country’s contributions during a visit to Washington in late August, saying the F-16s were doing a “good job.” He also said Dutch leaders had placed no restrictions on how Ukrainian pilots can use them, including striking military targets in Russia, as Moscow’s forces have used their side of the border to stage assaults into Ukraine.

Dutch military support for Ukraine reached €3.76 billion end-September, up by €683 million from early June, Brekelmans said in a letter to parliament dated Sunday. Much of the new money was aimed at maintaining Ukraine’s fighting capacity, included parts and ammunition for Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers, Patriot air-defense systems and F-16 jets, as well as medical goods and combat rations. the Ministry of Defence said.

The first F-16 deliveries followed the Netherlands granting export licenses for the fighters on July 1, according to the ministry. To arm the jets and keep them flying, the Dutch are supplying Ukraine air-to-air missiles from their stockpiles, as well as €450 million to buy ammunition and €80 million for maintenance contracts and spare parts.

“We agreed to enhance cooperation within the aviation coalition, including crew training and the supply of weapons and spare parts for aircraft,” Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said in a post on X , after meeting with Brekelmans.

Brekelmans says the Dutch have previously taken a lead role in providing Ukraine with F-16s and Patriot air-defense systems, and will pursue that role with the plan for advanced drones.

The two countries will jointly develop advanced drones and accelerate production of successful prototypes, with nearly half of that taking place in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch MoD. The Netherlands is a frontrunner in developing unmanned vehicles, and will be able to contribute high-end technology, the ministry said.

For successful prototypes, more funds will be made available to scale up production, according to the ministry. Due to the importance of drones in modern warfare, the project will be a priority for the Netherlands, and Brekelmans told Dutch news agency ANP the effort doesn’t concern the types of small drone used in mass on the Ukrainian battlefield, but the most advanced drones.

“When Dutch knowledge and technology are combined with Ukrainian battlefield experience, that results in innovative and effective drones,” Brekelmans said. “Development of all kinds of drones is happening at lightning speed. We don’t have the luxury of taking a long time, it’s about moving fast. Buy prototypes, quickly test them and rapidly scale up production.”

Brekelmans said he observed the aftermath of Russia’s heavy bombardments in Kharkiv, including destroyed apartments, electricity shortages and children attending school in bunkers. He said Ukraine can only defend itself by “keeping Russia at a greater distance,” without providing details.

The U.S. has supplied Ukraine with Joint Direct Attack Munition kits to convert unguided bombs into guided munitions, and which can be launched by F-16s.

Air raid alarms also sounded during a flower-laying ceremony for fallen Ukrainian soldiers at a cemetery in Kyiv, which Brekelmans attended with Eichelsheim, the minister said in a post on X on Monday. “Ukrainians are making unparalleled sacrifices for their freedom,” Brekelmans said.

The Dutch MoD provided an updated overview of equipment supplied or pledged to Ukraine, which includes a Patriot radar system and five launchers, 353 YPR-765 infantry fighting vehicles, 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks, more than 100 Leopard 1 tanks and eight PzH 2000s.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——荷兰将在未来几个月向乌克兰交付F-16战斗机，荷兰国防部长首次承认，向这个饱受战火蹂躏的国家移交24架战机的工作正在进行中。

荷兰国防部长鲁本·布雷克尔曼斯周日突访这个饱受战火蹂躏的国家时表示，荷兰还将提供 4 亿欧元（4.39 亿美元）用于联合开发和生产用于侦察、防御和攻击的先进无人机，主要用于空中，但也用于陆地和海上。

“我可以正式宣布，荷兰首批F-16战机已交付乌克兰，”布雷克尔曼斯在前往基辅和哈尔科夫的途中，在其社交媒体平台X（前身为Twitter）上发帖称。“这非常紧急。在哈尔科夫，我亲眼目睹了俄罗斯空袭造成的破坏，并频繁听到空袭警报。”

今年夏天，以荷兰和丹麦为首的欧洲各国政府联盟开始筹备向乌克兰捐赠F-16战机，此后，有关F-16战机即将交付乌克兰军队的消息首次传出。这些武器旨在帮助乌克兰抵御俄罗斯的袭击，俄罗斯的袭击目标包括人口中心和关键基础设施。

荷兰国防部长奥托·艾歇尔斯海姆将军在8月下旬访问华盛顿期间谈到了荷兰的贡献，称F-16战机“表现出色”。他还表示，荷兰领导人并未限制乌克兰飞行员如何使用这些战机，包括打击俄罗斯境内的军事目标，因为莫斯科军队曾利用其边境一侧对乌克兰发动袭击。

荷兰国防部长布雷克尔曼斯周日致信议会称，截至9月底，荷兰对乌克兰的军事援助总额达到37.6亿欧元，较6月初增加了6.83亿欧元。国防部表示，新增资金大部分用于维持乌克兰的作战能力，包括为“铁甲榴弹炮2000”、爱国者防空系统和F-16战斗机提供零部件和弹药，以及医疗用品和作战口粮。

据乌克兰国防部消息，荷兰于7月1日向乌克兰颁发了F-16战斗机的出口许可证，随后首批F-16战斗机交付乌克兰。为了保障这些战机的武器装备和飞行安全，荷兰正从其库存中向乌克兰提供空空导弹，并提供4.5亿欧元用于购买弹药，以及8000万欧元用于维护合同和备件。

乌克兰国防部长鲁斯捷姆·乌梅罗夫在与布雷克尔曼斯会面后，在 X 网站上发帖称：“我们同意加强航空联盟内部的合作，包括机组人员培训以及为飞机提供武器和备件。”

布雷克尔曼斯表示，荷兰此前在向乌克兰提供 F-16 战斗机和爱国者防空系统方面发挥了主导作用，并将继续在先进无人机计划中发挥这一作用。

据荷兰国防部称，两国将联合研发先进无人机，并加快成功原型机的生产，其中近一半的生产将在荷兰进行。荷兰国防部表示，荷兰在无人驾驶飞行器研发领域处于领先地位，并将贡献高端技术。

据该部称，对于成功的原型机，将提供更多资金以扩大生产规模。鉴于无人机在现代战争中的重要性，该项目将成为荷兰的优先事项。布雷克尔曼斯告诉荷兰通讯社ANP，这项工作并非针对乌克兰战场上大量使用的小型无人机，而是针对最先进的无人机。

“当荷兰的知识和技术与乌克兰的战场经验相结合时，就能研发出创新且高效的无人机，”布雷克尔曼斯说。“各种无人机的研发都在以惊人的速度进行。我们没有时间慢慢来，必须快速行动。购买原型机，快速测试，然后迅速扩大生产规模。”

布雷克尔曼斯表示，他亲眼目睹了俄罗斯对哈尔科夫进行猛烈轰炸后的景象，包括公寓楼被毁、电力短缺以及孩子们在掩体里上学。他说，乌克兰只有“与俄罗斯保持更远的距离”才能保护自己，但他没有提供具体细节。

美国向乌克兰提供了联合直接攻击弹药套件，可以将非制导炸弹改装成制导弹药，并可由 F-16 战斗机发射。

周一，布雷克尔曼斯部长在X网站上发帖称，在基辅一处公墓举行的悼念阵亡乌克兰士兵的献花仪式上，空袭警报响起。布雷克尔曼斯部长与艾歇尔斯海姆一同出席了仪式。他在帖子中写道：“乌克兰人民正在为他们的自由做出无与伦比的牺牲。”

荷兰国防部提供了向乌克兰提供或承诺提供的装备的最新概述，其中包括一套爱国者雷达系统和5个发射器、353辆YPR-765步兵战车、14辆豹2A4坦克、100多辆豹1坦克和8辆PzH 2000坦克。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。