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First F-16s arrive in Ukraine
August 4, 2024 (by
Bjorn Claes) -
Ukrainian president Zelenskyy held an inaugural press conference to introduce the F-16 in Ukrainian service.
It was already known back in 2023 that certain European NATO countries (Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium) would start delivering F-16 fighters to Ukraine in the course of 2024. In late 2023 a training center was setup in Denmark to start conversion of Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel to the venerable Western fighter. How long this conversion would take before the first aircraft would be able to be sent was shrouded in debate.
The F-16 poses a significant change in Ukrainian fighter operations since the country has always relied on Russian aircraft (like the Su-27, Su-25, Su-24, MiG-29). The way Western fighters operate both technologically as tactically differs vastly from those Russian aircraft.
The arrival of the first aircraft was acknowledged by the President's press conference. In the past weeks the first F-16s were already seen flying in Ukrainian airspace, but more details were not available at that time. Today, two flying F-16s were seen (#80-3596 and #80-3599) and on the ground also two ex-ADF aircraft were spotted. The latter most probably being used for ground crew training.
The first combat missions with these newly arrived F-16s have already been conducted, primarily in an air defense capacity. Despite the small number of planes, this marks a step in enhancing Ukraine's defense capabilities to counter Russian aerial threats. The exact number of operational pilots is small, with only six qualified so far according to some sources
In total Western countries have pledged to deliver up to 100 F-16s between now and 2029. The first ex-Danish, Dutch and Norwegian examples are already on the delivery table. So by the end of 2024 the total amount of F-16s could already reach forty.
It has to be seen how fast conversion of Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel can be scaled to provide enough military with knowledge of this system to effectively operate it in a war scenario. This could be the strongest hurdle for Ukraine to incorporate the F-16 in its force structure.
PS ZSU F-16AM's #80-3596 and #80-3599 are flying overhead during the inauguration of the first F-16s delivered to Ukraine held on August 4th, 2024. [PS ZSU photo]
The F-16 poses a significant change in Ukrainian fighter operations since the country has always relied on Russian aircraft (like the Su-27, Su-25, Su-24, MiG-29). The way Western fighters operate both technologically as tactically differs vastly from those Russian aircraft.
The arrival of the first aircraft was acknowledged by the President's press conference. In the past weeks the first F-16s were already seen flying in Ukrainian airspace, but more details were not available at that time. Today, two flying F-16s were seen (#80-3596 and #80-3599) and on the ground also two ex-ADF aircraft were spotted. The latter most probably being used for ground crew training.
The first combat missions with these newly arrived F-16s have already been conducted, primarily in an air defense capacity. Despite the small number of planes, this marks a step in enhancing Ukraine's defense capabilities to counter Russian aerial threats. The exact number of operational pilots is small, with only six qualified so far according to some sources
In total Western countries have pledged to deliver up to 100 F-16s between now and 2029. The first ex-Danish, Dutch and Norwegian examples are already on the delivery table. So by the end of 2024 the total amount of F-16s could already reach forty.
It has to be seen how fast conversion of Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel can be scaled to provide enough military with knowledge of this system to effectively operate it in a war scenario. This could be the strongest hurdle for Ukraine to incorporate the F-16 in its force structure.
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- F-16s for Ukraine ( 219 replies)
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