DefenseSlovakia considers expanding F-16 fleet with four additional jets
Prime Minister Robert Fico said Slovakia is in discussions with the United States to acquire four additional F-16 fighter jets, potentially raising the country’s future fleet to 18 aircraft. The announcement followed his meeting on Feb. 15 with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Slovakia has already ordered 14 F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft under a 2018 contract with Lockheed Martin, comprising 12 single-seat and two twin-seat variants. Production of the final jets was completed in December 2025.
According to Fico, expanding the fleet would allow Slovakia to assume full responsibility for the protection of its airspace. The country has relied on neighboring NATO allies (including the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland) to conduct air-policing missions since retiring its legacy fighters.
The capability gap emerged after the previous Slovak government transferred 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine between 2022 and 2023, along with other military equipment, to support Kyiv’s defense against Russia’s invasion. The move left Slovakia without operational supersonic aircraft.
Fico and Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák have criticized the decision to donate the aircraft, arguing it weakened national defense. A regional prosecutor’s office recently concluded an investigation into the transfer, determining that the donation did not violate the law.
If approved, the purchase of four additional F-16s would further align Slovakia’s air force with NATO standards and consolidate its transition from Soviet-era equipment to Western platforms.
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