Ukraine is very close to receiving its first F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets, which is expected this summer, officials from Belgium and the Netherlands said, countries that are among the fighter aircraft’s donors.
The F-16s will replace the Ukrainian Air Force’s outdated MiG-29s and Su-27s with the aim of changing battlefield strategy in the conflict with Russia.
Although they are older aircraft and were being retired by Norway, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, the Lockheed Martin jet is still very relevant and capable.
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The difficulty has been training pilots and ground staff to keep the jets in flying condition. Members of the Ukrainian Air Force are spread across several bases in the United States, Romania, France and Denmark undergoing training.
The most experienced pilots are being instructed by the US and Danish air forces while in Romania there are members with no experience, who will undergo longer training.
F-16 fighters based outside Ukraine
Ukraine hopes to turn the tide regarding control of airspace over the east of the country, currently dominated by Russia. With the F-16, the hope is to prevent Russian jets from launching air strikes from within their territory without being threatened as is the case now.
With greater range, more advanced radar and more accurate weapons, the F-16s can push the Russians away from the border and thus relieve cities like Kharkiv, which has been severely bombed in recent months.
The fear, however, is that the Russian Air Force will initiate frequent attacks in the mission to destroy the few initial F-16s and thus prolong the difficulty of defending Ukraine.
As a result, the fighters may be based outside the country initially, Serhii Holubtsov, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said last week.
For now, there are plans to transfer around 80 F-16 fighters to the country, but they will gradually arrive at the battlefront, as pilots and ground staff are well trained.
Ukraine will also have two airborne early warning (AEW) planes donated by Sweden, which can greatly contribute to targeting attacks, including military targets inside Russia, a hypothesis accepted by the United States and the countries that are donating their F- 16, but that could escalate the conflict as well.