(DailyAnswer.org) – Ukraine has announced that its pilots are being trained by instructors from Western countries in the use of F-16s and that the aircraft could be used to defend the country against Russian aggression later this year. The Netherlands announced in December 2023 that it would be the first country to provide Ukraine with Lockheed Martin fighter jets, partially fulfilling its earlier pledge to provide the country with 42 F-16s. Denmark has announced it will give 19 F-16s to Ukraine, 14 of which will be delivered this year and the remaining 5 of which are set to reach the country in 2025. Belgium and Norway will also be contributing, but the Netherlands will be the largest donor of aircraft to the country.
Estonian intelligence revealed in January 2024 how concerned Russia is about the deployment of F-16s in Ukraine. Colonel Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center, stated that the scale of Russia’s bombing of strategic targets in Ukraine, including railway and port infrastructure, weapons and ammunition depots, military airfields, and industry equipped to produce and repair weapons, demonstrates how deeply concerned the Kremlin is about F-16s reaching the country. Kiviselg predicted there would be more massive missile attacks carried out by Russia in Ukraine in the near future. By August 2023, the strain already placed on Russia’s air force by the conflict had become very apparent, as an unknown number of Russian aircraft, ranging from 84 to 130, had been lost in the conflict so far. The Russian Aerospace Forces had roughly 900 tactical aircraft before the 2022 invasion.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that preparation for the first airstrike is proceeding as planned, and though Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat was secretive about details relating to the training, he was hopeful that the first aircraft could be in use by spring 2024 and stated that 150 F-16s will be sufficient to protect the country’s airspace.
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