Ukrainian President Zelensky mentioned that Ukraine has acquired its first US-made F-16 fighter jet.
“F-16s are in Ukraine. We did it,” President Zelensky mentioned throughout a ceremony at an unnamed air base, though he added that extra was wanted.
Ukraine’s chief thanked allies who had been so hesitant to offer assist.
The arrival of the jets marks a significant milestone in bettering the capabilities of Ukraine’s air pressure, which depends closely on older Soviet-era jets.
Though Zelensky admitted that Ukraine doesn’t but have sufficient educated pilots to fly all F-16s, it’s anticipated and hoped that extra F-16s will seem within the coming months.
He didn’t specify what number of planes arrived in Ukraine or whether or not they have been all despatched by Denmark, the Netherlands and america, international locations he thanked specifically.
NATO international locations have dedicated to purchasing about 65 F-16s since U.S. President Joe Biden first approved keen European allies to ship about 65 F-16s to Ukraine in August 2023.
The F-16 was launched in 1978.
The British Air Pressure doesn’t have any F-16 fighter jets, however it’s providing long-range Storm Shadow missiles that may be mounted on plane.
Ukraine’s F-16s will work with a restricted variety of Western-supplied surface-to-air missile programs, such because the Patriot and Nasam missile programs already deployed on the bottom.
With the flexibility to hold rockets, bombs and missiles, the F-16 ought to theoretically permit the Air Pressure to conduct extra strikes deep inside occupied territory and probably targets nearer to the border inside Russia.
They’ll additionally assist defend Russian glide bomb – Dumb munitions outfitted with pop-up wing kits and steerage modules to offer precision strike standoff capabilities, just like the U.S. JDAM munitions.
Some 3,000 plane have been dropped in March alone, principally from Su-34 fighter-bombers.
If Ukraine can defend its F-16s on the bottom, they’re anticipated to play an essential function in pushing again Russian plane to the purpose the place they’ll now not goal Ukrainian floor forces with glide bombs.
Kyiv has advised it might hold some F-16s at international army bases, however the suggestion prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to warn that any Western base housing Ukrainian plane would turn out to be a legit army goal for Russia.
Specialists additionally say the fighter jets might present much-needed air help to Ukrainian floor forces, which have suffered relentless assaults in latest months, significantly within the jap Donbass area.
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov beforehand vowed that Western-made F-16 fighter jets flying to Ukraine can be “shot down.”
“However, after all, these deliveries won’t have any vital influence on the event of occasions on the entrance line,” he added.
