Ihnat commented on the possibility of receiving F-16 by the end of the year
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine will receive F-16 fighters after infrastructure and pilot training
The transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will take place only after the infrastructure is prepared, pilots and aviation engineers are trained, despite the readiness to transfer the first batch of aircraft. This was reported on Radio Liberty by the spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat, UNN reports.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Ukraine may receive the first batch of F-16s by the end of this year.
When asked whether Ukraine could really receive the first batch of F-16s by the end of the year, Ihnat replied: "I rarely use Western analysts as a source of information because they sometimes give very dubious things. There was a telephone conversation between the heads of state: Ukraine and the Netherlands, where it was announced that the first batch could be delivered, it is ready, the process is ongoing. What's the point of bringing the planes here to be under the enemy's gun? We need to wait until everything is 100% ready: the infrastructure, the pilots who are currently undergoing training with instructors, and the aviation engineering staff. This is one of the main things that is needed to complete the training process, and everything in general."
According to him, aviation weapons used by the F-16 require special skills and knowledge. Engineers receive them during training.
"The engineers will not only maintain the aircraft, but also deal with weapons. We take an airplane to fight on it, not to keep it standing. Aircraft weapons also require appropriate knowledge to adjust and strike with them," Ihnat noted.
Addendum
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the Dutch government has decided to start preparing the first 18 F-16 aircraft for delivery to Ukraine.
Yuriy Ihnat noted that Western partners are to provide Ukraine with a number of F-16 aircraft. However, before they are used, they will need to be modernized to compete with the Russian air force.
