The United States is pulling retired F-16 fighter jets out of the “aircraft graveyard” in Arizona, to transport them to Ukraine for supplying components to the country’s operational F-16s, in a process likened to “organ donation.”
According to a report from the U.S. military news website “The War Zone,” a spokesperson from the U.S. Air Force stated that by providing Ukraine with discarded and completely unusable F-16 parts, they are supporting the maintenance of donated F-16 fighter jets from the EU to Ukraine.
“These F-16 fighter jets have been retired from active duty in the U.S. and are no longer airworthy. More importantly, they lack key components such as engines or radars, making them unable to be reassembled for combat purposes,” the spokesperson said.
Recent photos circulating on social media show at least three disassembled and packaged F-16 fighter jets (without wings, tail fins, engines, and radar nose cones) being loaded onto an Antonov Airlines An-124 transport plane at Tucson International Airport in Arizona, confirming the transport of these F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Public flight tracking data confirms that the An-124 transport plane with registration number UR-82027 landed at Tucson International Airport on April 25. After loading the disassembled F-16 fighter jets, the transport plane took off on April 26 to Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland, a vital transit hub for Western countries to transport military supplies to Ukraine.
These disassembled F-16 fighter jets may also be intended for use by Poland, as Poland also operates F-16s. Compared to the F-16 A/B models currently used by Ukraine, Poland operates more advanced F-16C/D variants and is preparing to upgrade to the even more advanced F-16V model.
Tucson International Airport is in close proximity to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), also known as the “aircraft graveyard,” located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
According to the Kyiv Independent, several EU countries have promised to provide combat-ready F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Netherlands has committed to providing 24 F-16s, Denmark committed to providing 19, Norway committed to providing 6 to 22. Belgium has also announced its intention to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but the specific quantity has not been disclosed.
The F-16 fighter jet entered service in the late 1970s, with capabilities for air-to-air combat and precise ground strikes, currently used by over twenty countries.
In Ukraine, the F-16 fighter jets are utilized for intercepting Russian missiles and drones, as well as attacking Russian frontline positions.