Ukraine relies on fighter jets
“Game changer” F-16 probably in action from spring
8/28/2023 1:46 am
Military experts see a shortage on the part of the Ukrainian army, especially in the air. F-16 fighter jets could change that. Several states want to deliver Kiev. The training is running. In about six months they could be circling over Russian positions.
The Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov considers the use of western F-16 fighter jets to be likely as early as next spring. Kiev has started training courses for its pilots, engineers and technicians, Resnikov justified the schedule he proposed in the Springer podcast Ronzheimer. His country will have to prepare “the infrastructure for the F-16”. “It should take at least six months, maybe a bit longer. So I think it will be spring next year.”
The minister therefore expects that the western fighter jets will prove to be a “serious game changer” in the fight against Russian troops. “We must end Russia’s dominance in the skies, off the battlefield,” Reznikov said. F-16 jets have “become part of the air defense”. The Ukrainian armed forces could strengthen their capacities in the sky to protect the airspace. “That would be a big breakthrough for us. Very big.”
The Ukrainian Air Force is currently seeking training on modern F-16 fighter jets to bolster its Soviet-era fleet and boost the counter-offensive against the Russian army. Denmark, the Netherlands and most recently Norway recently pledged delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine. The pilots are to be trained in the USA, among other places.