Amid continued expectations and delays, the arrival of the first batch of F-16 multirole fighters to Ukraine could occur after Orthodox Easter, next Sunday, May 5, as reported by Ukrainian Air Force Spokesman Ilya Yevlash .
Yevlash, however, did not provide specific details on the dates, as the Air Force “you are not thinking about these dates“, given that these have already been modified on multiple occasions. “Our task is to work with what is provided to us, we are not directly responsible for supplies, this is a question for the highest military-political leadership. When the first fighters arrive in Ukraine, we will definitely talk about it“Yevlash declared on television.
Initial reports in August 2023 indicated that the multirole fighters would be delivered to Ukraine by New Year, although the dates have been pushed back several times, with more recent reports pointing to the second quarter of this year, which would coincide with statements from Yevlash.
Since 2023, multiple nations have announced plans to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, whose modern avionics – unlike the current Soviet-era aircraft used by Ukraine – will aid the country’s efforts to control its airspace against aerial threats. Russian.
Denmark and the Netherlands were some of the first countries to pledge F-16s to Ukraine during the summer of 2023, with others pledging to train Ukrainian pilots to operate NATO-standard multirole fighters.
Reports from November 2023 also indicated that maintenance of the multirole fighters will take place in Poland, although it is unclear whether Ukraine and its Western allies will proceed with this plan. Time restrictions are likely not based on airframe availability, but rather on factors related to the completion of specialized training for pilots and maintenance personnel, as well as infrastructure requirements.
According to Ukrainian media, it would be unreasonable to bring in the aircraft without an available and functioning system to fly them in combat status, or even park them at an air base from which they could not quickly disperse if the air base was under imminent Russian attack.
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