Ukraine hopes to receive 6 F-16 fighter jets this summer and 20 by year’s end
Pravda Ukraine
Ukraine intends to receive 6 F-16 fighters from Western partners this summer, with a total of up to 20 aircraft by the end of 2024.
Source: Bloomberg, citing its own sources, as reported by European Pravda
Details: According to sources acquainted with the situation, the process of deploying military aircraft to Ukraine is now hampered by spare parts shortages and a language barrier between Ukrainian pilots and their foreign instructors.
People dealing with the issue are particularly concerned about Ukraine’s lack of runways, which are exposed to Russian strikes.
According to one of the sources, Ukraine will likely be able to deploy a squadron of F-16s ranging from 15 to 24 aircraft. Another agency spokesperson stated that Kyiv expects to receive 6 F-16s this summer and up to 20 by the end of the year.
The calls for F-16s were so urgent that they aroused concerns about the feasibility of sending aircraft to Ukraine and whether this is a costly show of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the agency. A senior NATO officer with whom the agency spoke identified three major concerns for F-16 delivery planners.
First, aircraft must be changed according to their mission, such as reconnaissance or combat. Second, Ukraine lacks several of the long, high-quality runways required for the F-16, as well as defensive shelters against Russian strikes. Third, aircraft support logistics are complex, from the need for replacement components to maintenance to finding engineers.
Another NATO representative noted that Ukraine is trying to achieve in a few months what usually takes three to four years.
In an email responding to queries from journalists, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-16, stated that “we continue to support the US government’s response to the conflict in Ukraine”, but did not elaborate on how service or components for the jets will be managed.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s top national security adviser, confirmed on Thursday that aircraft transfers had already begun.
On 10 July, the leaders of the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands, who head the so-called fighter jet coalition, announced that Ukraine will receive its first F-16 aircraft this summer.
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