Ukrainian F-16 training and sustainment FMS package approved by US State Department

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Ukraine of F-16 training and sustainment and related equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 2 May 2025.

The required certification for the proposed FMS, which is worth an estimated USD 310.5 million (EUR 276.6 million), has been passed to the US Congress.

From 2 May onwards, the congressional review period on this FMS is 30 days, compared to 15 days for NATO countries.

Ukraine has requested to buy equipment and services in support of the F-16s gifted to the Ukrainian Air Force from various European countries that are in the process of converting to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The gifted F-16s are intended to bolster the Ukrainian Air Force in its operations against invading Russian forces.

The Ukrainian Air Force is believed to currently operate around 16 F-16AM/BMs, the first of which arrived in August 2024. In total, Ukraine has been pledged a total of around 85 such aircraft from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

However, sustaining those aircraft has been complicated by the on again/off again relation between the US Trump Administration and the Ukrainian government prior to the to countries finally signing a long-awaited mineral and energy deal on 30 April, which promises to reset the relationship.

In early May, for example, it emerged that newly installed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had cancelled US arms shipments to Ukraine at the end of January 2025 despite not being directed to do so by US President Donald Trump. Within a week the aid was restored, but in the meantime 11 flights carrying the military aid had been cancelled at a time when Ukraine was struggling to fight off Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s Kursk region.

Various non-Major Defense Equipment items are included in the Ukrainian F-16 sustainment package: aircraft modifications and upgrades; personnel training related to operation, maintenance, and sustainment support; spare parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; ground handling equipment; classified and unclassified software delivery and support; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; studies and surveys; US government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and programme support.

“The proposed sale will improve Ukraine’s capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring its pilots are effectively trained and by increasing its interoperability with the United States through comprehensive training with the US Air Force,” the DSCA stated. “This proposed sale aligns with international coalition contributions for the establishment of Ukraine’s F-16 program and the overall modernization of Ukraine’s air force.”

The principal contractors for Ukraine’s F-16 sustainment would be Valiant Integrated Services, located in Herndon, Virginia; Top Aces Corporation, located in Mesa, Arizona; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, located in Fort Worth, Texas; Pratt and Whitney, located in East Hartford, Connecticut; Snap-on Inc, located in Kenosha, Wisconsin; BAE Systems Inc, located in Falls Church, Virginia; AAR Corporation, located in Wood Dale, Illinois; and Comsetra, located in Grove, Oklahoma.