F-16 Fighters

The US committed to approving the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in August last year, after months of lobbying by Kyiv

The US will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, beginning at an Air National Guard base in October, the Pentagon said Thursday. The training is part of a U.S. and European effort to get the advanced fighter jets to Ukraine for its defense against invading Russian forces. American military officials stress it takes years of training to be able to field F-16 squadrons, limiting the impact the aircraft will have on Ukraine's defense for the near future. This is about the long-term support to Ukraine, the Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, told reporters in Washington. This is not about the counteroffensive that they're conducting right now. The training will take place at Morris Air National Guard base in Tucson, Arizona. The pilots will first undergo English instruction at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, to bring their fluency up to the level needed to operate the aircraft, starting next month, Ryder said. Ukraine has long presse

Western countries are sticking to an escalation which carries "enormous risks" for them if they supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said

The U.S. has approved more arms sales to Taiwan, including $619 million worth of munitions for F-16 fighter jets, in a decision likely to be yet another point of friction between the U.S. and China, which claims the island as its own territory. The State Department said in a statement Wednesday night it had approved sales of missiles to be used with the F-16s as well as equipment to support the missiles. That includes AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles, as well as air-to-air missiles and launchers. Taiwan is unofficially supported by the U.S. and has a fleet of F-16s bought from the U.S. Tensions between China and the U.S. are at their highest level in years over American support for the self-governed island, including visits by high-ranking politicians, and a host of other issues, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon that crossed the U.S. before being shot down last month. China considers Taiwan part of its territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary, and has .

The US State Department has said that the Pakistan F-16 programme was an important part of the broader bilateral relationship, as the American Senate did not object to the proposed $450 million deal

After Tata Group, Lockheed Martin signed a deal to jointly produce the F-16 fighter jets in India