According to plan: Foreign Minister reveals F-16s potential arrival date in Ukrainian skies
Dmytro Kuleba (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBС-Ukraine)
Ukrainian Defense Forces are set to receive F-16 fighters from partner countries according to previously established plans and schedules. Western aircraft could appear in Ukraine's skies as early as this summer, announces Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba at a briefing in Warsaw.
According to the official, initially, there were plans for the F-16s to appear in Ukrainian airspace by mid-summer.
"Currently, everything is going according to plan," the minister notes.
At the same time, he points out that the issue of transferring these fighters to Ukraine is "very complex and convoluted."
"So you never know how everything can change. But for now, the schedule is like this," Kuleba says.
He adds that he has information, however, that the training of Ukrainian pilots on these aircraft is progressing well. At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes the need for more training, especially for engineers and technical personnel.
F-16s for Ukraine
Last year, Denmark and the Netherlands promised to provide Ukraine with 61 F-16 fighters. To begin deliveries, pilots and ground personnel need to undergo appropriate training. Ukraine, for its part, needs to prepare the necessary infrastructure for the fighters.
Former spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force Yurii Ihnat previously stated that the training of the first group of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s in the United States was expected to be completed in early summer.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that by this summer, 12 Ukrainian pilots would be ready for combat flights on F-16s. However, there won't be enough aircraft for all of them.
Recently, the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, stated that Ukraine would receive F-16 fighters in the first half of this year. She added that the first planes would arrive from Denmark.
