Air Force expects first F-16s to appear in Ukraine in spring
The Ukrainian Air Force expects that the first F-16 fighters will appear in Ukraine in the spring of 2024.
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said this on the air of the nationwide telethon 'United News', Ukrinform reported.
"Every official in Europe or in the United States, opinion leader or government official, announces the dates. And everyone has different dates. We are relying on spring, because if the process of training our pilots with aviation instructors has already begun, then, in principle, I think we can count on the statements made by the Ukrainian authorities," Ihnat said.
He believes that a total of one and a half hundred modern fighter jets could effectively protect Ukraine's airspace. If the outdated fleet of Soviet equipment could be replaced with modern F-16s and other types of aircraft, it would help fulfill a number of important tasks. With the arrival of only F-16s in our country, the situation will not change dramatically, but it will have a significant impact, Ihnat emphasized.
"We want to get this equipment as soon as possible, and nothing can be faster than the F-16. Therefore, we are looking forward to our pilots' training. The training process is really not easy, infrastructure preparation is not easy, engineer training is not easy either," the spokesman said.
As reported, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier said that U.S. F-16 fighters could appear in Ukraine as early as the beginning of next year.