F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts
Non-operational F-16s are being pulled from the boneyard and sent to Ukraine to support the growing fleet of European-donated fighters that the country is now using in combat against Russia. This development was confirmed to TWZ by the U.S. Air Force after photos recently emerged showing partially disassembled F-16s being loaded onto a Ukrainian charter An-124 transport aircraft in Arizona. Flight trackers showed the transport flying to Poland.
According to an Air Force spokesperson, the Department of the Air Force 'has supported the sustainment of European-donated F-16s to Ukraine by providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts. These F-16s were retired from active U.S. use and are not flyable. Importantly, they lack critical components such as an engine or radar and could not be reconstituted for operational use.'
Evidence that the F-16s were headed to Ukraine came last week, when photos began to circulate on social media showing at least three shrink-wrapped F-16s, minus wings, tails, engines, and radomes, being loaded onto an Antonov Airlines An-124 at Tucson International Airport, Arizona.
Spotted in Tucson, Arizona yesterday. Photos just sent to me by a follower. 'International Cargo Transporter' with Ukrainian flags. Based out of Ukraine Interesting. pic.twitter.com/0ski9pONmK
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) April 26, 2025
While confirming the details of this, I found further pictures posted online by a local transportation company showing a third wrapped F-16 at Davis-Monthan and being loaded into the Antonov An-124. pic.twitter.com/xKCTAPxX03
— Keystone Intel (@KSOSINT) April 29, 2025
Publicly available flight-tracking data confirmed that the An-124 in question, registration UR-82027, landed at Tucson on April 25. After the dismantled F-16s were loaded, it took off on April 26, headed for Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland. This airport is a vital transit hub for Western-supplied military materiel bound for Ukraine.
On April 26th, UR-82027 departed Tuscon for Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport in Poland. Located near the Polish-Ukrainian border Rzeszów–Jasionka serves as a key logistic hub for US and allied military support for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/pCiV8IXL7S
— Keystone Intel (@KSOSINT) April 29, 2025
The evidence pointed toward the United States supplying these jets to Ukraine, although official confirmation was absent until now. There was also the possibility that they were intended to be used by Poland, possibly for spare parts or ground instruction. Poland is also an F-16 operator, although those jets are much more advanced Block 52+ F-16C/Ds compared to the A/B models being flown by Ukraine.
Tucson International Airport is located close to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the home to the U.S. military's aircraft boneyard, formally known as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309th AMARG).
Although the shrink-wrapped nature of the jets means it's not possible to identify exactly what versions of the F-16 were involved in this transfer, the apparent presence of 'bird-slicer' IFF antennas on the nose suggests that they are older Block 15 Air Defense Fighter (ADF) variants, which were previously flown by the Air National Guard. We asked the Air Force for more details on the specific aircraft supplied and the number of jets involved, but they declined to provide more information.
Appears that these may be older F-16ADFs mothballed from Air National Guard service in the early 2000s [note what appears to be a bird slicer IFF antenna under the wrap].They are likely being used for spares and as decoys/ ground trainers. https://t.co/ATxabiXO7h pic.twitter.com/u82fiwA782
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 30, 2025
Earlier this month, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, Commander, U.S. European Command, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), told a Senate Committee that additional F-16s were being prepared for delivery to Ukraine, although he didn't mention the source.
In all, around 85 operational F-16s have now been promised to Ukraine, which include 24 from the Netherlands, 19 from Denmark, and 12 from Norway (with the same country providing 10 more that will be used for spare parts), while Belgium says it will supply 30. Of this grand total, it should be noted that at least some of the jets are not being sent to Ukraine but are instead being used for training Ukrainian pilots, primarily at the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) in Romania.
While the airframes provided by the United States won't add to this flyable total, they will nevertheless deliver a significant boost when it comes to supporting Ukraine's growing Viper fleet. The U.S. has not been interested in directly supplying Ukraine with flyable F-16s, but that could always change at some point.
F-16s are becoming more scarce than most may realize, even in the United States. Older U.S. F-16s that are still in decent flyable shape have been ported over to the Navy for aggressor use. The USAF also has its own aggressor needs, as well, and many of the airframes stored in the boneyard that were suitable for continued flying have gone to other allies or the Air Force's QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target program. The service is also extending the life of newer block F-16s currently in service so they can serve for decade to come.
As of last fall, the inventory of F-16's at the Pentagon's aircraft boneyard are:
F-16A – 150
F-16B – 27
F-16C – 143
F-16D – 22
Once again, many of these aircraft are not capable of being flown again.
There have been previous reports that a lack of spare parts has hampered deliveries of additional jets from European allies. Specifically, according to the Belgian Ministry of Defense, limited stocks of spares have delayed the delivery of F-16s promised by this country.
As well as limitations caused by a shortage of spares, the Ukrainian F-16 fleet has also suffered incidents of attrition.
In August 2024, less than a month after the type was first confirmed as being in the country, Ukraine confirmed the loss of its first F-16 and one of its pilots in a crash during a combat mission. The Ukrainian Air Force later stated that pilot Oleksii Mes had been killed while repelling a large-scale Russian missile and airstrike.
Oleksii Mes', a pilot of the Ukrainian Air Force, heroically fought his last battle in the skies. On August 26, during a massive russian missile and air strike, Oleksii shot down three cruise missiles and one strike UAV. He saved countless Ukrainians from deadly russian… pic.twitter.com/Wwc0BiUThO
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) August 29, 2024
Since then, at least one more F-16 has been lost.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the combat loss of an F-16 on April 12, killing the pilot, Pavlo Ivanov. While the air force has not provided any details concerning the incident, there are unconfirmed reports that the jet was brought down by a surface-to-air missile fired from a Russian S-400 long-range air defense system. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to Ivanov.
Generally, few details have been released about how Ukraine is using its F-16s, although official and unofficial imagery reveals specific details of load-outs used in operational air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
A Ukrainian F-16 pilot has given an interview for the first time.In the interview, the F-16 pilot, whose name is withheld for security reasons, revealed that he regularly conducts aerial reconnaissance flights over Russian targets and troops. Nearly every day, he carries out… pic.twitter.com/6XKDloT9TV
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) March 26, 2025
For combat air patrols, Ukrainian F-16s have been seen carrying the AIM-9X Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missile and AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). Other imagery also shows the jets fitted with the earlier AIM-9L/M Sidewinder.
Ukrainian Air Force F-16AM Fighting Falcon returning from a combat air patrol, having expended one of its AIM-120C-series AMRAAM missiles. Appears to be the first confirmation that Ukrainian Falcons are sporting the more advanced and longer-ranged C-series AMRAAMS. pic.twitter.com/oK7TLUOCbW
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 11, 2025
Interception of an aerial target by Ukrainian F-16 https://t.co/DIO0Y5SHap pic.twitter.com/zbsMkjFZYu
— Special Kherson Cat
(@bayraktar_1love) May 1, 2025
Ukrainian F-16s are also frequently seen carrying three external fuel tanks, to maximize endurance, an especially important factor considering Ukraine has no air-to-air refueling assets.
Meanwhile, a typical configuration for F-16s flying air-to-ground missions comprises GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs), carried on BRU-61 racks, each of which can carry four examples of these precision-guided munitions.
Earlier today, footage emerged of what is possibly the first sighting of a Ukrainian Air Force F-16AM Fighting Falcon on a strike mission, making a low-level pass. These are the first images of a Ukrainian Falcon sporting a full loadout of US-supplied GBU-39 SDB glide bombs. pic.twitter.com/QTyoBffEJX
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 10, 2025
One other store is the AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pod carried on the F-16's centerline. A podded electronic warfare capability of this kind gives the jet a valuable extra layer of survivability, especially important when flying air-to-ground missions in close proximity to the battlefield and its ever-present ground-based air defense threat. Ukraine's F-16s also feature an advanced internal electronic warfare suite that leverages specialized pylons that help in threat detection and countermeasure deployment.
As F-16 deliveries to Ukraine continue, and the type becomes better established in Ukrainian service, the scope of its missions will likely expand. However, keeping any kind of frontline fighter operational is a big logistical task. Ukraine faces the twin challenges of rapidly introducing an altogether new, Western combat aircraft, differing in many respects from its Soviet-era equipment. At the same time, the frontline F-16s supplied by European nations are now very old airframes and require an even bigger support footprint. For this reason, the supply of surplus U.S. F-16 airframes will be very much welcomed by the Ukrainian Air Force.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
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