The pilots of the new Slovak machines first circled the airfield, then folded the landing gear and gradually flew down the runway. Only on the next approach did they land and pass under the symbolic victory gate made by water jets from the fire engines.
The purchase of 14 modern F-16 C/D Block 70 fighter jets from the United States is the most expensive deal in the history of independent Slovakia. Bratislava paid 1.5 billion euros for them. The planes were supposed to be delivered to Slovakia last year, but a shortage of chips delayed their production.
Slovakia will wait for more combatants until 2026.
The deal was signed in 2018 by the government of then-Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, who on Monday welcomed the new machines at the airport as the country’s president and commander-in-chief of its armed forces.
– This is an opportunity for the protection of Slovak skies to return to Slovak hands – said the President.
He recalled that several years ago the American offer was rated as too economical, and now Slovakia is receiving the most modern F-16 fighter jets, whose avionics meet the parameters of fifth-generation machines.
Therefore, the President continued, Slovak fighters can cooperate with the machines of other NATO air forces. After war broke out in Ukraine, Pellegrini said defense spending was an obligation not just for NATO, but also for citizens who needed to feel safe.
By the end of 2024, one more machine will arrive in Slovakia from the USA. The rest in 2025 and 2026. Until the Slovak force reaches full combat capabilities, pilots from Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany will be responsible for the defense of Slovak airspace. On Monday, President and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Robert Kaliniak thanked allies for helping to protect Slovak skies.
In 2022, Slovakia stopped using post-Soviet MiG-29s, which were transferred to Ukraine.