Defence: Stationing of F-16s to Be Decided by End of Summer

Bratislava, April 10 (TASR) - The permanent stationing of F-16 fighter jets will be decided by the end of this summer, with the Sliac Airport being the most probable location, the Defence Ministry declared on Wednesday. "Before the completion of the Sliac Airport reconstruction, the delivered aircraft will be housed at the Malacky-Kuchyna Airport in a temporary capacity," explained the ministry. Several investment projects regarding the reconstruction and modernisation of the Sliac Airport are in various stages of progress. The projects are being carried out via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) and national projects. The Sliac Airport reconstruction was greenlighted by the government in 2019 during the tenure of defence minister Peter Gajdos (SNS nominee). His successor Jaroslav Nad (then OLaNO, now 'Democrats') conceded that not all projects will be completed by the time of the delivery of F-16s and outlined the use of the Malacky-Kuchyna Airport as one of alternatives. Nad criticised his predecessors for failing to prepare the projects properly. In March, Slovakia officially received the first two F-16 aircraft at a ceremony in the United States. Both are used in the United States for the training of Slovak technicians. The rest of the batch is slated to be delivered to Slovakia gradually from the spring of this year. mf