Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge.
Even so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he didn’t expect the F-16s to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take “four or five years,” he said.
Ukrainian forces supporting infantry are using decades-old Soviet-era models, which are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, Capt. Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade, told The Associated Press.In making the decision on F-16 deliveries, Washington aims to ensure warplanes can be provided to Ukraine as soon as its pilots complete their training, according to a U.S.
Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Friday the training of Ukrainian pilots is starting this month. Washington’s blessing for the plane donations to other countries is needed because the aircraft are made in the United States.
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