BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia received on Monday the first two of the 14 new F-16 military jets from the United States whose delivery was pushed back two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and a lack of chips.
President Peter Pellegrini hailed the arrival of the F-16s at the Kuchyna air base in western Slovakia late Monday by saying the F-16s will “significantly contribute to the increase of defense capabilities of our country.”
The rest of the jets will be gradually delivered in two years.
Pellegrini was the prime minister in 2018 when the government signed the $1.8 billion deal to purchase 14 U.S. F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets in a move meant to replace the obsolete Soviet-made MiG-29 jets.
Under the previous government, Slovakia grounded its MiGs in the summer of 2022 due to a lack of spare parts and expertise to help maintain them after Russian technicians returned home following Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine.
Last year, the government approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of 13 MiG-29s, becoming the second NATO member country to heed the Ukrainian government’s pleas for warplanes to help defend against Russia’s invasion.
In the absence of its own aircraft, fellow NATO members Poland, the Czech Republic and later also Hungary have stepped in to guard Slovak air space.
The new government led by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico came to power last year after winning the parliamentary election following campaigning on an anti-American platform. It has condemned the donation of the jets to Ukraine and has threatened to sue.
Fico opposes military support for Ukraine and EU sanctions on Russia. Pellegrini’s his close ally.