What had been anticipated in recent days became official on Sunday, August 4. Ukraine is now in possession of its first Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters.
The confirmation came from President Volodymyr Zelensky himself, who in a military ceremony presented two of the combat aircraft already bearing Ukrainian insignia.
“F-16s in Ukraine, we did it,” said Zelensky, who made a point of remembering that the fighters are just the beginning of a strategic shift to Western equipment and that it will take time.
The first two F-16s seen in photos and videos were carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, an air defense configuration.
In addition, there were PIDS and ECIPS pods, which are composed of defense systems for radar and infrared guided missiles such as chaffs and flares and the AN/AAR-60 sensor and the AN/ALQ-162 jammer.
This is a necessary set for the supersonic jets to survive in a turbulent airspace in which Russia currently has as a priority target to destroy them.
We are now in a new phase of development for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We have done a lot to transition the Ukrainian Air Force to a new aviation standard – Western combat aviation. From the beginning of this war, we have been talking with our partners about… pic.twitter.com/z21yTU0Hjo
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 4, 2024
Ex-Denmark fighters
The aircraft seen in Ukraine would be ex-F-16s supplied by Denmark, which, together with the Netherlands, were the first countries to guarantee the transfer of the fighters.
They will be followed by Belgium and Norway and should total between 65 and 85 aircraft for the Ukrainian Air Force.
The F-16s, as already highlighted by NATO and Ukrainian military personnel, will not be a “golden bullet”, but the beginning of a transformation that will make the air force more capable and prepared to defend itself from Russian attacks.
The measures include the installation of more surface-to-air defense systems and also ASC 890 airborne early warning aircraft, donated by Sweden.
Moreover, it will be necessary to wait for pilots and ground personnel to gain experience in order to get the most out of Western aircraft. Until then, Ukrainian skies will still be a highly contested environment.
