The War Zone
• Thomas Newdick
More than half of Ukraine’s aging F-16 fleet is reportedly grounded as the war continues, while Western stocks of air-to-air missiles are also running low. The combination is constraining aircraft availability and the weapons supply supporting Ukraine’s fighter operations.
F-16
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More than half of Ukraine’s aging F-16 fleet is reportedly grounded as the war continues, while Western stocks of air-to-air missiles are also running low. The combination is constraining aircraft availability and the weapons supply supporting Ukraine’s fighter operations.
Argentina has taken delivery of six additional F-16A/B Fighting Falcons from Denmark, bringing its received total to 12 of 24 aircraft. The second batch flew from Skrydstrup via Spain and Brazil to Río Cuarto, as officials consider moving up delivery of the remaining 12 fighters to 2027.
BAE Systems’ AN/APX-127(V)1 Combined Interrogator Transponder has received AIMS certification from the U.S. Department of War, clearing the identification-friend-or-foe system for U.S. Air Force F-16s. BAE expects deliveries from an initial 90-unit production lot to begin this year, with the system designed for future combat aircraft.
Belgium plans to transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with timelines reported as either by the end of 2026 or later this year. Ukraine’s air force says F-16 crews have already downed more than 600 missiles and 2,500 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Dassault Aviation has signed a cooperation agreement with AED Cluster Portugal as it seeks to position the Rafale in Portugal’s competition to replace 24 F-16AM/BM fighters. The pact is intended to explore industrial partnerships as Saab and Embraer deepen their defense relationship in the market.
A U.S. Air Force investigation found that misaligned variable vanes disrupted airflow in the engine of a Thunderbirds F-16CM during a formation-training flight near Trona, California. The resulting compressor blade failure caused an unrecoverable loss of thrust, forcing the pilot to eject before the aircraft was destroyed.
Airbus plans to submit an unsolicited, financing-backed Eurofighter Typhoon proposal to Portugal in late October or early November, positioning the European fighter against Lockheed Martin’s F-35. Lisbon is seeking to replace 28 upgraded F-16Ms and has yet to select a successor.
The U.S. Air Force plans to replace the Modular Mission Computer on Block 40, 42, 50 and 52 F-16s with a Next-Generation Mission Computer. The upgrade is part of a broader modernization effort that includes the APG-83 radar and is intended to sustain the fleet into the 2040s.
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