maaxx.ca

However, the aircraft is unlikely to become operational anytime soon.

It’s unclear when the first F-16s will impact the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, as Ukrainian pilots will need at least six months of onboard training.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to his counterparts in the Netherlands and Denmark this week.

In the letter, Blinken offered formal assurances that the United States would expedite approval of all third-party requests to transfer F-16s to Ukraine.

Ukraine requested a fighter that could give it an edge in combat. Last month, he launched a long-awaited counteroffensive against Kremlin troops without air cover, putting his troops under the control of Russian airstrikes and artillery.

US Air Force General James Hecker, commander of US air forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington on Friday that he did not expect the F-16 to be a game-changer for the Ukraine.

“Preparing a squadron for battle could take four or five years,” he said. The NationalSaturday August 19, 2023.

In eastern Ukraine, attack helicopter pilots said they welcomed the news. They say Russia has air superiority, but the introduction of US jets could shift the balance of power.

Captain Yevgen Rakita, spokesman for the army’s 18th Aviation Brigade, said the Ukrainian Air Force was supporting infantry with decades-old Soviet-era aircraft that are vulnerable Russian air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.

“Modern warfare cannot be won without the capabilities of aviation,” he said.

In making the decision to deliver the F-16, Washington aimed to ensure that the fighter could be delivered to Ukraine as soon as its pilots had completed their training.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra welcomed the US decision. “This step is a major step for Ukraine in the defense of its people and its country,” he said.

Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said training for Ukrainian pilots would begin this month.

A coalition of 11 Western countries – the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the UK – signed up in July last to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16.

Denmark will hand over F-16s only after receiving the F-35 Lightning fighter. The first four F-35s are to be delivered on October 1.

Washington’s approval for the plane’s donation is required because the plane is made in the United States.

Ukraine’s western allies have sometimes been slow to provide the military support demanded by kyiv.

President Joe Biden’s authorization in May for allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to use the F-16, and possibly supply the planes themselves, was preceded by months of debates in Washington and talks with the allies.

The government has said it fears the move could escalate tensions with Russia. Additionally, the United States says learning to fly and logistically support the F-16 will be difficult for Ukrainian forces trained in post-Soviet-era aircraft.

Deliveries will likely take months, but Washington says the F-16 — like the promised Abrams tank — will be critical to Ukraine’s long-term security.

So far, Ukraine has relied on older aircraft, such as the Russian-made MiG-29 and Sukhoi aircraft. The F-16 has newer technologies and targeting capabilities and is also more flexible.

Read also: Ukrainian drones reach Moscow and the Black Sea, Russia successfully anticipated

Don’t forget to follow updates and other news follow Google Medcom.id news account

(AIT)