 Ukraine will receive old F-16s. Their maintenance will be very expensive. The obsolete F-16 fighters that the NATO allies can transfer to Ukraine will be very expensive in terms of maintenance. According to Bloomberg, the F-16s that NATO allies may send to Ukraine aren't likely to arrive in time to help with Kiev's current offensive. The used planes won't be enough to turn the tide in the air war against Russia either. The Alliance has a different message in mind. By providing some of the most sophisticated and expensive weapons to date, Kiev's backers will tie Ukraine's military more closely than ever to the block, showing Vladimir Putin he's wrong to think he can outlast them in the conflict. It is noted that keeping these obsolete F-16s in the air can cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Flying older F-16s alone costs up to 32,000 US dollars an hour according to the US Department of Defense. In general, maintaining aircraft can cost as much as buying them. It is noted that the old aircraft which NATO allies could send will certainly cost less than new ones but they will also have a shorter service life since in some cases they have already been flying for decades. The important takeaway here is that managing a limited fleet of obsolete aircraft through contractors and maintaining them with contractors will be very expensive. Rand-core analyst Bryn Tannehill was quoted as saying this confirms the idea that the long-term goal is to integrate Ukraine into NATO. It is noted that although Alliance officials do not say when the planes can be delivered, the Netherlands and Denmark plan to create a training centre for pilots and maintenance personnel including from Ukraine in Eastern Europe.