More than two years into the full-scale war with Russia, Ukraine is closer than ever to its coveted F-16 jets.
In a statement Wednesday, American, Danish, and Dutch leaders said the “transfer process” for the fourth-generation fighters is “underway.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer.
However, an air power analyst cautioned that the statement may suggest a change of ownership rather than combat readiness for the Ukrainian Air Forces. This could be due to safety concerns, as Russia recently targeted Ukrainian airfields with ballistic missiles.
At last year’s NATO summit in Vilnius, countries agreed to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16s. Currently, there are just over 12 Ukrainian pilots training between Denmark and the U.S., but Ukrainian officials are asking for more training spots to be made available.
Receiving the F-16s may help boost morale and improve Ukraine’s defense capabilities. In the medium term, pairing the F-16s with airborne surveillance planes pledged by Sweden could enhance Ukraine’s targeting and command-and-control abilities.
There are still challenges to address, such as training experienced crews for the surveillance planes and ensuring coordination between different aircraft. The ultimate goal is to maximize the impact of these new assets for Ukraine.
