Ukraine expects to receive 6 F-16 aircraft this summer and 20 more by the end of the year - media
Kyiv • UNN
One NATO official noted that Ukraine is trying to achieve in a matter of months what usually takes three to four years
Ukraine expects to receive six F-16 aircraft from partner countries this summer and up to 20 aircraft by the end of 2024. This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to interlocutors, UNN reports.
Details
According to the newspaper, the process of transferring F-16s was complicated by delays in spare parts and the language barrier between Ukrainian pilots and their foreign instructors. It is also noted that planners are concerned that Ukraine does not have enough runways, and those that do are vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Kyiv expects to receive 6 F-16s this summer and up to 20 by the end of the year
The newspaper notes that the challenges were so severe that they raised doubts about the feasibility of sending planes to Ukraine and whether it was now a very expensive demonstration of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In the months since the pilots began training, including 12 in the United States, the battlefield has changed, with both sides relying on cheap drones and Russia strengthening its air defense.
The senior NATO official also named three main concerns of planners. First, the aircraft must be reconfigured depending on their mission, such as reconnaissance or combat. Second, Ukraine does not have the long, high-quality runways needed for the F-16s or the shelters to protect them from Russian attack.
Third, the logistics of supporting the aircraft are complex, from the need for spare parts to maintenance requirements to finding engineers. Another NATO official noted that Ukraine is trying to accomplish in a matter of months what usually takes three to four years
Recall
Norway will give Ukraine 6 F-16 fighter jets by the end of 2024 to protect it from Russian air attacks.
