Air Force of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Air Force (Повітряні Сили Збройних Сил України) is a separate branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, responsible for air defence and aviation support. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 it has been central to countering aerial attacks and integrating Western-supplied aircraft, including F-16 fighters donated by allies. The current commander is Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko.
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Over half of Ukraine's F-16s grounded as Belgian maintenance lags up to 40 weeks
More than half of Ukraine's F-16 fighters are non-combat-ready due to maintenance delays at Belgian contractor Sabena Aerospace Engineering, with phased inspections reportedly taking up to 40 weeks versus two to six weeks in the United States. The backlog comes as Russia scales up jet-powered drone strikes and Ukraine leans on F-16s as its main counter to that threat.