Key Points and Summary – To protect its vital new F-16 fleet from Russian attacks on airfields, Ukraine is adopting clever and mobile maintenance tactics.
-A Ukrainian foundation has delivered mobile support complexes, including command posts, workshops, and cranes, allowing crews to service and rearm the jets at dispersed, hidden locations.
-This effort is complemented by the U.S. sending non-operational F-16s to be cannibalized for spare parts, ensuring a steady supply for repairs.
-These logistical solutions are crucial for keeping the promised 85 operational F-16s survivable and effective under constant threat.
New Deliveries Help Ukraine Maintain and Protect Vital F-16 Fighters
A fleet of new support vehicles has been delivered to Ukraine to assist with the operation and maintenance of its F-16 Viper fighters amid ongoing struggles to strengthen Ukrainian air defense and air combat capabilities.
On June 22, Ukrainian foundation Come Back Alive announced the delivery of mobile command posts and two sets of vehicles that will assist with aircraft and munitions maintenance. The organization, which was established in May 2014, is designed to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces by providing equipment, training, analytical research, and veteran rehabilitation.
A video posted to the Ukrainian Air Force’s [PSU] Telegram channel on the same day revealed the importance of the new aid package, and described some of the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) methods used to maintain its F-16s.
“In the conditions of a real war, when the enemy is hunting aircraft and airfields, the [PSU] lacked mobility in servicing both the F-16s themselves and their air-launched weapons,” the post explained. “The F-16 is the most sophisticated Western equipment we’ve been waiting for. ‘Come Back Alive,’ at the request of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and with the support of the state-owned company Ukrnafta, [was] developed, purchased, and handed over for the air force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the country’s first mobile complexes for servicing aircraft of a new model.”
Each support package includes a set of 4×4 vehicles designed to streamline the loading and maintenance of F-16 munitions in dispersed environments as part of an effort to minimize the impact of Russian strikes.
Among the vehicles are workshop trucks for testing and preparing weapons, two crane-equipped trucks to assist with arming the aircraft, and personnel transport pickup trucks. Each mobile complex, known as a “Mission Planning Complex,” consists of a German 6×6 MAN truck and 4×4 trailer.
The truck contains workstations for up to seven personnel to conduct pre-flight planning and briefings, while the accompanying trailer serves as a mobile living unit to support extended deployments.
The news follows reports that non-operational F-16s are being sent to Ukraine as part of a broader effort to bolster Ukraine’s aerial warfare capacity. In May, the U.S. Air Force confirmed that the non-operational planes would be used to replace damaged parts on F-16s currently in use in Ukraine.
An Air Force spokesman confirmed that the department was “providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts.”
“These F-16s were retired from active U.S. use and are not flyable. Importantly, they lack critical components such as an engine or radar and could not be reconstituted for operational use,” the spokesperson added.
A total of 85 operational F-16s have also been promised to Kyiv, with contributions made by the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium.
The planes are expected to be used in combat as well as for training purposes, with some expected to be sent to the European F-16 Training Center located in Romania.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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