Ukraine wants F-16 repairs at more sites, tells Lockheed

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi met a Lockheed Martin delegation led by Orlando Sanchez Jr., president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, to press for steady weapons deliveries, more PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot and wider F-16 maintenance across Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.

The talks centered on the F-16, which the ministry described as one of the Ukrainian Air Force’s key tools against Russia’s new jet-powered attack drones, and on Kyiv’s push to service the jets at more locations inside the country, including through local production.

“The F-16 is part of Ukrainian aviation. Ukraine is committed to a long-term partnership with Lockheed Martin. It is important to increase weapons deliveries and do everything we can to ensure that as many F-16s as possible remain in service and operate in Ukrainian skies,” said Ukrainian Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara.

The meeting followed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s own talks with a Lockheed Martin team in Kyiv on Oct. 19, when he praised the F-16’s record against Shahed drones and said Ukraine is counting on the program continuing. Sources at Lockheed Martin have told The Defence Blog that the company is promoting the idea of a special F-16 version tailored to Ukraine, with longer range, a new AESA radar to spot low-flying drones and cruise missiles faster, and deeper integration of European weapons, although no formal talks on such a variant are underway.

Lockheed Martin systems already make up a large share of Ukraine’s long-range firepower and air defense, from the HIMARS rocket launchers that have struck Russian logistics hubs since 2022 to the F-16 fighters and the PAC-3 interceptors that Patriot batteries fire against Russian ballistic missiles. The F-16 has become the backbone of the Ukrainian Air Force since the first jets arrived in 2024, and the type now flies roughly 80 percent of all Ukrainian Air Force sorties, with one wing alone credited with downing more than 1,000 Russian drones and cruise missiles.

Keeping those aircraft flying is a growing challenge, since Ukraine’s F-16s are older airframes donated by European NATO members and fly near-daily combat missions, which wears down engines and structures far faster than peacetime training. Expanding maintenance to more sites inside Ukraine would cut the time jets spend out of action and reduce the risk of concentrating them at a few bases that Russian missiles and drones could target, while localization would give Ukrainian industry a direct role in sustaining the fleet.

The PAC-3 request reflects Ukraine’s most urgent air defense need, since Patriot is the main system in its inventory able to intercept Russian ballistic missiles such as the Iskander-M and the Kinzhal. Lockheed Martin is ramping up production of PAC-3 MSE interceptors, and Zelenskyy said after his own meeting that Kyiv hopes to buy part of the increased output to protect more cities from ballistic attacks.

The ministry said Ukraine is ready to share its combat experience with Lockheed Martin to make the company’s weapons more effective in modern warfare, and the talks come as Lockheed Martin offers Ukraine its own version of the F-16, a variant that sources at the company told The Defence Blog would bring longer range, a new AESA radar to detect low-flying drones and cruise missiles faster, and deeper integration of European guided bombs and cruise missiles.