Some munitions for F-16 fighter jets already on their way to Ukraine, – Zelenskyy
Ukraine is sourcing munitions for F-16 fighter jets worldwide, and some packages are already on their way to the country.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in his evening address, Censor.NET reports.
Ammunition supplies
"We are now finding munitions for F-16s virtually all over the world — they are among the most effective tools currently available for shooting down jet-powered 'Shaheds'. Some packages are already on their way, and more will follow," he said.
According to Zelenskyy, he discussed strengthening air defence with French President Emmanuel Macron and the prime ministers of Poland and the Netherlands.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was preparing new contracts for air defence systems and missiles for them. He did not disclose details but noted that "there could be positive developments".
Background
- President Zelenskyy previously said Belgium would deliver three more F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year.
- Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said reports of supposedly catastrophically low serviceability rates for Ukraine’s F-16s and excessively long maintenance times were untrue. According to him, industrial partners continue to return aircraft after repairs, and maintenance turnaround times are decreasing.
Ukraine’s efforts to counter Russian jet-powered drones
- Russian forces began launching new Geran-4 jet-powered drones against Ukraine in May 2026. They are faster and more manoeuvrable than previous versions.
- Ukraine has four potential interceptors capable of destroying jet-powered UAVs. They have already undergone field trials, but production needs to be scaled up to thousands of units.
- On August 21, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received the first Ukrainian jet-powered drone interceptor for operational use.
- On September 28, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the overall drone interception rate stood at 70%, while the rate for jet-powered drones was 57%.
- On September 29, Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said Air Force air defence units must shoot down Russian targets before they reach Kyiv.
- On October 2, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was testing five models of interceptors for jet-powered drones.
