4-8-2024 (KYIV) President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed on Sunday that Ukrainian pilots have commenced flying U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets for operations within the country. This long-awaited arrival of the advanced aircraft marks a milestone more than 29 months after Russia’s invasion began.
Addressing military pilots at an undisclosed air base, flanked by two F-16s with two more soaring overhead, Zelenskiy proudly announced the deployment of the jets, which Kyiv has lobbied for extensively.
“F-16s are in Ukraine. We did it. I am proud of our guys who are mastering these jets and have already started using them for our country,” Zelenskiy declared, with authorities requesting Reuters not to disclose the location for security reasons.
While the arrival of the F-16s represents a significant step forward for Ukraine after months of waiting, uncertainties remain regarding the exact number of jets available and the extent of their impact on enhancing air defences and the battlefield.
Russia, however, has been targeting bases that may house the F-16s and has vowed to shoot them down, aiming to prevent them from influencing the course of the war.
Built by Lockheed Martin, the F-16s have long been on Ukraine’s wish list due to their destructive power and global availability. Equipped with a 20mm cannon, these jets can carry an array of armaments, including bombs, rockets, and missiles.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Zelenskiy acknowledged that Ukraine currently lacks a sufficient number of trained pilots and aircraft. “The positive thing is that we are expecting additional F-16s… many guys are now training,” he said, emphasizing the importance of expanding training programs and opportunities for both pilots and engineering teams with the assistance of Kyiv’s allies.
Ukraine has previously relied on an aging fleet of Soviet-era warplanes, which are outgunned by Russia’s more advanced and numerous aircraft. Russia has exploited this advantage to conduct regular long-range missile strikes across Ukraine and pound Ukrainian front-line positions with thousands of guided bombs, supporting its slowly advancing forces in the east.
“This is the new stage of development of the air force of Ukraine’s armed forces,” Zelenskiy stated. “We did a lot for Ukrainian forces to transition to a new aviation standard, the Western combat aviation,” he added, citing hundreds of meetings and relentless diplomacy to obtain the F-16s.
“We often heard ‘it is impossible’ as an answer, but we still made our ambition, our defensive need, possible,” he asserted.
While it remains unclear what missiles the jets are equipped with, military analysts suggest that a longer-range missile would allow them to have a greater impact on the battlefield.
Zelenskiy also expressed his intention to lobby allied neighbouring countries to assist in intercepting Russian missiles launched at Ukraine through discussions at the Ukraine-NATO Council platform.
“This is another tool, and I want to try it, so that NATO countries can talk to Ukraine about the possibility of a small coalition of neighbouring countries shooting down enemy missiles,” he said, acknowledging the potential challenges. “I think this decision is probably difficult for our partners, they are always afraid of excessive escalation, but we are fighting that.”
