U.S. Delivers Decommissioned F-16 Fuselages to Ukraine For Parts Cannibalizing

A Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan cargo aircraft has delivered several F-16 fighter jet fuselages from the United States to Poland.

The transfer, first reported by OSINT researcher Keystone Intel on the X platform, involved F-16 fuselages—likely of the Air Defense Fighter (ADF) variant—flown from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona to Rzeszów, Poland. This Polish city serves as a major logistics hub for military aid shipments to Ukraine.

The Davis-Monthan base, often called the world’s largest “aircraft boneyard,” is home to thousands of retired military aircraft. Some of these can be refurbished or stripped for parts. The F-16 fuselages, photographed during loading by HAULPRO TRANSPORT LLC, were wrapped in protective film typically used for long-distance aviation equipment transport.

The An-124, named “Be Brave Like Kharkiv” (registration UR-82027, tail number #508015), departed Tucson International Airport on April 25, after arriving there empty from its previous flight. Tucson International sits only a few kilometers from Davis-Monthan, making it a convenient departure point for the large cargo.

Close-up images of the fuselages reveal APX-113 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) antennas on the nose—a feature unique to the F-16 ADF interceptor version. These jets, once operated by U.S. National Guard units, were retired in the 2000s and are no longer in service anywhere in the world.

Military analysts suggest the fuselages are unlikely to be put back into full operational service. “Given their age and condition, these airframes may serve as donor parts or as decoys,” Keystone Intel noted. Ukrainian Air Force footage has previously featured F-16 ADF jets, though experts believe these were not airworthy.