Ukraine has acquired its first American-made F-16 fighter planes, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“F-16 in Ukraine.” “‘We did it,’ President Zelensky said, adding that we need mor
Ukraine’s president praised partners for something they were previously unwilling to offer. The plane delivery boosts Ukraine’s air force, which relies on outdated Soviet-era jets.
He did not say how many planes had landed in Ukraine or whether they were all dispatched by Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States, which he explicitly praised.
NATO nations have offered around 65 F-16s since US President Joe Biden officially authorized willing European partners to deliver them to Ukraine in August 2023.
The F-16 debuted in 1978, while many Western militaries are retiring older jets and replacing them with the US-made F-35, which launched in 2015.
Ukraine’s F-16s will work with Western-supplied Patriot and Nasams missile systems.
F-16s could enable deeper strikes into seized territory and near Russia’s border. They may also help defend against Russian glide bombs with pop-out wings and guidance modules. Approximately 3,000 dropped in March alone, primarily from Su-34 fighter-bombers.
If Ukraine preserves its F-16s, they aim to push Russian aircraft back, preventing strikes on Ukrainian ground forces.
Kyiv has recommended that it maintain some F-16s at foreign military stations.
“But of obviously, these supplies will not have a major influence on the course of events on the front lines,” a spokesperson said. supernews