Linda Hurry
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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.