Ukraine awaiting American F-16 fighter jets to arrive: 'Plans are grandiose'

"The plans are grandiose. The aircraft is multifunctional, so it will be able to perform many tasks in support of ground forces," emphasized the spokesperson.

According to him, thanks to the versatility of the American fighter jet, it can be used for several purposes, including:

• Striking ground targets at different depths of enemy defenses

• Covering assault aviation

• Securing the airspace in the Black Sea area

• Defending the country against enemy drones and missiles

• Countering enemy ships

"F-16 has a wide range of armaments that can be applied on various fronts. Well, it will help gain air superiority and resist the use of guided aviation bombs," emphasized Ihnat.

F-16 for Ukraine

Recall that earlier, Ukraine's allies announced the creation of an aviation coalition to transfer modern fighters, including F-16, to the country, with the Netherlands and Denmark leading the effort. In total, Ukraine will receive at least 61 aircraft from Denmark and the Netherlands.

According to Politico, Ukrainian pilots have started flight training on F-16s in the United States, and on October 25, they began actual flights on F-16s. Before this, they trained on simulators, aviation simulators that fully replicated the aircraft's cockpit.

On October 22, Ihnat announced that Ukrainian pilots would soon switch from aviation simulators to actual F-16 fighters, accompanied by instructors.

It is worth noting that on November 7, the Netherlands sent the first five F-16 fighters to Romania for training Ukrainian pilots, where they opened a special center.

The Ukrainian Air Force hopes that the first F-16s will likely arrive in Ukraine in the spring of 2024.