Almost two years after Ukraine began asking its allies F-16 fighter jets to fight against the Russian forces, the first planes will arrive next month.
The length of the process, from acquiring US-designed planes to training Ukrainian pilots, has frustrated Kiev.
Russia has had time to prepare defenses to try to nullify the impact of the F-16and Ukraine has had to survive with a depleted air forcea fraction of the size and sophistication of the enemy’s.
The schedule for training Ukrainian pilots in the F-16s has dominated debates over deliveries and promises of more than 70 aircraft.
“Russia is attacking all airfields, potential F-16 bases, every day, including attempts to damage landing strips and infrastructure. “These attacks have not stopped for at least the last two months,” he declared. Serhii Kuzanpresident of the Center for Security and Cooperation of Ukraine, a non-governmental research group.
The targets will be even more valuable when the planes arrive., pilots and maintenance teams. It is likely that this force Ukraine to install anti-missile defenses to protect themdespite the fact that it lacks both anti-aircraft defense systems and ammunition.
“We have to accept the fact that the airfields will be well protected while civilian objects are going to be attacked”Kuzan said, adding that each base would need at least two batteries. Patriot and two NASAMS to protect her.
F-16s require a high level of runways and reinforced hangars to protect them from attacks on the ground. It is unclear how many Ukrainian air bases can meet those requirements, and Russia will seek to quickly attack those that could host them once the jets arrive.
“As soon as we (increase our flight capabilities), we will push back their planes and the terror will cease. But these two months will be really difficult.”Kuzan said.
According to Kuzan, the military Ukrainians have made efforts in recent months to reduce the threat of incoming F-16s, attacking Russian air defenses.
“The formation of the battlefield, especially in the south, is already taking place,” he said. “Ukraine has the capacity to systematically attack Russia’s main air defense complexes.”
Serhii HolubtsovChief of Aviation of the Ukrainian Air Force, noted in early June that the F-16s will help protect the front line and border regions of Russian gliding bombs that have inflicted significant damage to both troops and residential areas, including Kharkiv. Glide bombs are Soviet-era heavy bombs equipped with precision guidance systems and dropped from aircraft flying out of range of air defenses.
Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands and Norway have pledged to provide Ukraine with more than 60 F-16 fighters to help it defend against Russian attacks. Ukrainian pilots are being trained to fly the planes before the tests begin. deliveries.
To defend the fighters from possible Russian attacks, Ukraine said it might even keep some of them at foreign bases to protect them from Russian attacks.
In response, Moscow warned that the bases of the NATO that house aircraft used by Ukraine would become a “legitimate objective”,
(With information from Reuters)
