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Slovakia Seeks Four Additional F-16 Block 70/72 Fighter Jets to Strengthen NATO Eastern Flank.
Slovakia confirmed on 17 February 2026 that it is exploring the purchase of four additional F-16 Block 70/72 fighters from the United States, expanding its current order of 14 aircraft. The move would accelerate Bratislava’s transition from Soviet-era jets and deepen NATO’s air defense posture along the alliance’s eastern frontier.
On 17 February 2026, discussions in the United States confirmed that Slovakia is exploring the purchase of four additional F-16 Block 70/72 fighters, on top of the 14 aircraft already on order. According to Slovak broadcaster TA3 and news outlet Aktuality.sk, Prime Minister Robert Fico outlined this intention during meetings in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a wider agenda that also covered energy security and relations with Russia. The move is significant for a country whose skies are still patrolled by allied aircraft and whose fighter fleet remains in transition after donating its Soviet-era MiG-29s to Ukraine. It also signals that, despite political debates around the war in Ukraine, Bratislava intends to anchor its long-term air defence and deterrence posture in a modern U.S.-made combat aircraft, as reported by TA3 and Aktuality on the margins of the Washington talks.
Slovakia is considering the purchase of four additional F-16 Block 70/72 fighters from the United States to reinforce its transition to a modern NATO-aligned air defense fleet (Picture Source: Lockheed Martin / Britannica)
The new development would raise Slovakia’s future fleet from 14 to 18 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters, giving the Slovak Air Force a critical mass of aircraft for continuous air policing, training and potential deployments. Fico told the American delegation that discussions are under way on how to secure four extra jets beyond the original 2018 contract, arguing that it is difficult to speak of sovereignty while Slovak airspace is guarded by aircraft from neighbouring allies. Since September 2022, fighters from the Czech Republic and Poland, later joined by Hungary, have been responsible for protecting Slovak skies after Bratislava retired its MiG-29s earlier than planned and subsequently transferred them to Ukraine. By signalling that 18 F-16s is the target, the government is effectively defining the future structure of its fighter component for the next decades, in parallel with a broader debate inside Slovakia on the cost and benefits of previous decisions regarding the MiG-29 fleet.
The aircraft at the centre of these talks, the F-16 Block 70/72, is the latest and most capable iteration of the long-running F-16 Fighting Falcon family. Built by Lockheed Martin at its Greenville, South Carolina, facility, the Block 70/72 combines a modern airframe with an advanced mission suite centred on the APG-83 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, derived from technologies used on fifth-generation fighters. This radar gives the jet a significant boost in detection range, multi-target tracking and resistance to jamming, allowing it to conduct simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-ground operations. The avionics suite includes a high-capacity mission computer, digital cockpit displays, a modern electronic warfare system and secure data links such as Link 16, enabling real-time integration into NATO command-and-control networks. Depending on customer configuration, the Block 70/72 can carry a wide spectrum of precision-guided munitions and air-to-air missiles, including AMRAAM-class beyond-visual-range weapons and modern short-range missiles, as well as targeting pods for day-night, all-weather strikes.
The F-16 is one of the most combat-proven fighters in the world, with more than 3,000 aircraft in service across 25 countries and millions of flight hours accumulated since the 1970s. The Block 70/72 configuration has been selected by several U.S. partners, including Bahrain, Bulgaria, Jordan and Taiwan, creating a new generation of interoperable F-16 users with similar mission systems and logistics chains. For Slovakia, the 2018 contract for 14 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters, 12 single-seat and two twin-seat aircraft, represented the country’s largest defence acquisition since independence and the definitive replacement of its MiG-29 fleet. The first Slovak F-16 Block 70 flew in 2023 and initial deliveries began in July 2024; by December 2025, Lockheed Martin had completed production and hand-over of all 14 jets for Slovakia’s initial fleet. The additional four aircraft now under discussion would therefore not launch a new programme from scratch, but rather expand a capability whose training, basing and sustainment infrastructure is already being put in place.
From a tactical perspective, the step from 14 to 18 aircraft is more than a cosmetic adjustment. A fleet of 14 fighters enables a modest quick reaction alert (QRA) posture and basic training, but leaves little margin for maintenance, upgrades and unexpected attrition. With 18 F-16s, Slovak planners could field a more robust operational squadron capable of maintaining round-the-clock QRA coverage, sustaining several aircraft on NATO air-policing rotations abroad and still preserving jets for conversion training and exercises. The Block 70/72’s sensor and weapons package allows the aircraft to switch rapidly between air-defence, interception and limited strike missions, which is particularly valuable for a small air force that must cover multiple roles with a single platform. The added aircraft would also improve resilience in the event of crisis or conflict, reducing the risk that a small number of unserviceable jets could significantly degrade national air-defence readiness.
The timing of Slovakia’s interest in expanding its F-16 fleet must be understood against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a series of airspace incidents along NATO’s eastern flank. Missile and drone fragments have already fallen on Polish territory during Russian strikes, leading governments in Warsaw and other regional capitals to issue strong condemnations and reinforce their air-defence postures. Inside Slovakia, the earlier decision to donate MiG-29s to Ukraine is now being revisited in the political debate, with President Peter Pellegrini describing the move as a mistake given that no replacement fighters were yet available at the time. Against this security context, Fico’s argument that reliance on Czech, Polish and Hungarian aircraft to patrol Slovak skies is incompatible with a credible sovereignty narrative resonates both militarily and politically, even as his government maintains a more cautious line on support to Kyiv than some regional neighbours.
Strategically, an 18-strong F-16 Block 70/72 fleet would embed Slovakia more deeply into NATO’s integrated air and missile defence architecture. Equipped with AESA radars, secure data links and compatible identification-friend-or-foe systems, Slovak F-16s can plug directly into NATO’s Air Command and Control System, contribute to common Recognised Air Picture generation and operate under combined command during air-policing or crisis-response operations. In practical terms, this means the aircraft could be tasked not only with defending Slovak airspace but also with reinforcing Baltic or Black Sea air-policing missions, escorting high-value assets such as AWACS or tanker aircraft, and supporting coalition operations with precision strikes if authorised politically. The Block 70/72’s compatibility with advanced U.S. and European munitions gives Bratislava options to evolve from a purely air-defence focus to a more flexible deterrent posture, able to hold at risk key military infrastructure and logistics hubs in the event of aggression, while remaining fully interoperable with allied forces.
For Washington, the potential follow-on sale is comparatively modest in numbers but symbolically important. It would confirm that, despite political frictions over Ukraine policy and energy ties with Russia, Slovakia continues to see long-term value in deepening defence-industrial and operational links with the United States. It would also add another small but capable node to the growing network of F-16 Block 70/72 operators on NATO’s eastern flank, alongside Bulgaria and other partners, thereby simplifying logistics, training and joint planning. For Bratislava, securing favourable financial terms, whether through extended payment schedules, training packages or possible U.S. security assistance, will be as crucial as the aircraft themselves, given domestic budget constraints and competing social priorities. How the government manages this balance will shape internal perceptions of the deal as either a necessary investment in security or an excessive burden.
If the talks with Washington lead to a contract, four additional F-16 Block 70/72 fighters will not only close a numerical gap in the Slovak order book; they will mark the moment when Slovakia moves from relying on its neighbours for the defence of its airspace to shouldering that responsibility with a modern, NATO-standard fighter force of its own. In a region where the trajectory of Russian power and the durability of Western support to Ukraine remain open questions, locking in an 18-aircraft fleet gives Bratislava a clearer, more credible air-power baseline for the 2030s and beyond. Whether viewed from a cockpit or a cabinet table, the message is the same: for a small frontline state on NATO’s eastern flank, modern fighters are no longer a prestige asset, but one of the central pillars of national and collective security.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.