The first 2 of 14 new F-16 fighter jets from the US land in Slovakia

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia has received the first two of the 14 new F-16 military jets from the United States whose delivery was pushed back two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. President Peter Pellegrini has hailed the arrival of the F-16s at the Kuchyna air base in western Slovakia late Monday by saying the F-16s will “significantly contribute to the increase of defense capabilities of our country.” The rest of the jets will be gradually delivered in two years. Pellegrini was the prime minister in 2018 when the government signed the $1.8 billion deal to purchase the fighter jets to replace the obsolete Soviet-made MiG-29 jets.