--- title: "F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts" description: "The U.S. had not committed to giving Ukraine its F-16s, but images of the type being flown out of Arizona on a Ukrainian An-124 began circulating last week. The non-operational F-16s appear to be the first examples supplied directly to Ukraine from U.S. stocks." date: "2025-05-01" modified: "2025-05-01" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" - name: "Howard Altman" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/f-16s-pulled-from-u-s-boneyard-are-being-delivered-to-ukraine-for-spare-parts" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "Europe" - "F-16" - "Fighters" - "News & Features" - "Transports" - "Ukraine" - "Ukrainian Air Force" --- # F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts ![F-16 Fighting Falcons sit in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. on Jul. 30, 2010. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group is converting F-16s into usable manned or drone targets allowing Air Force to train and test new weapons platforms in the process. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios)]() *Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios* 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.” ![F-16 Fighting Falcons sit in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. on Jul. 30, 2010. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group is converting F-16s into usable manned or drone targets allowing Air Force to train and test new weapons platforms in the process. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios)]() *F-16s sit in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group was converting these particular F-16s into drone targets. *U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios* Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios* 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. https://twitter.com/LauraLoomer/status/1916236834713080209 https://twitter.com/KSOSINT/status/1917351634331435248 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. https://twitter.com/KSOSINT/status/1917351610826506553 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, 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. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1917368832965894632 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. ![]() *An earlier view of a Ukrainian F-16 carrying AIM-120C AMRAAM and AIM-9L/M missiles, underwing fuel tanks, plus the Terma pylons with integrated self-defense systems. *Ukrainian Air Force** 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 decades 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. ![Dnipropetrovsk Region, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 17: Ukrainian Military Operations In Dnipropetrovsk Region. A Ukrainian Air Force F-16 returns at low altitude after attacking Russian military positions in the direction of occupied Kurakhove on February 17, 2025 in Dnipropetrovsk Region, Ukraine. (Photo by Andriy Dubchak/Frontliner/Getty Images)]() *A Ukrainian Air Force F-16 returns at low altitude after reportedly attacking Russian military positions in the direction of occupied Kurakhove on Feb. 17, 2025, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine. *Photo by Andriy Dubchak/Frontliner/Getty Images* Andriy Dubchak/Frontliner* 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. https://twitter.com/KpsZSU/status/1829207211098419621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1829207211098419621%7Ctwgr%5Ed388a884815c40df9909aa782403c5e6fc551d20%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fair%2Fukrainian-pilot-killed-in-first-f-16-loss 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. https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1904956591427772852 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. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1889411650291376487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1889411650291376487%7Ctwgr%5Eaabadf94a1d8742b197585122d99568abe97fb79%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fair%2Fnew-shots-of-ukrainian-f-16s-shine-light-on-combat-missions https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1917857841563537607 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. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1888814860210745841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1888814860210745841%7Ctwgr%5Eaabadf94a1d8742b197585122d99568abe97fb79%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fair%2Fnew-shots-of-ukrainian-f-16s-shine-light-on-combat-missions 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. https://youtu.be/FI3DKBwoVBM 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* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()