Netherlands Transfer F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine, Allocate €400 Million for Drone Production
The Netherlands have delivered the first Dutch F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and will allocate €400 million to start developing and producing drones together with Ukraine.
This was stated by Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans during a visit to Kharkiv, as quoted by NOS.
According to him, half of the drones will be developed in the Netherlands, while the rest will be manufactured in Ukraine and other countries.
The minister recalled that the Netherlands played a ‘pioneering role’ in supplying Ukraine with F-16 aircraft and Patriot systems.
‘Now we are continuing this with modern drones,’ Brekelmans said.
He said that these drones can be used for various purposes: reconnaissance, defence and attack.
‘Especially in the air, but also on land and at sea,’ said the head of the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
He added that drones are currently in great demand because they are important for Ukraine's air defence and are also valuable offensively.
If the developed drones prove to be successful, additional funds will be allocated to expand production, Brekelmans said.
Brekelmans also officially confirmed the delivery of the first Dutch F-16s to Ukraine. He wrote about this on the X network.
Recently, the minister said that the Netherlands has a lot of technology and knowledge in the field of drones that can be shared with Ukraine.