Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that Kiev needs about 120 aircraft, most of which should be American F-16s. TASSHe cites an interview the politician had with the Funke media group.
“We need about 120 fighters. “The majority of them should be F-16s, which have more than 5 thousand vehicles in the world,” he said.
Reznikov also said that Eurofighter and Swedish Gripen will be an important aid for Kiev. He added that he hopes the German Eurofighter and Tornado will be transferred from England and Germany to Kiev, and that Berlin will participate in the training of Ukrainian pilots to use this technique.
Talking about the timing of deliveries, he stated that he hopes the first F-16s will arrive in Kiev by the end of the year. The minister noted that the training of pilots to work on F-16 aircraft takes four to six months, and it may take up to six months to train engineers, technicians and mechanics.
The head of the department also noted that Ukraine does not plan to invade Russian territory.
Former Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reportedUkraine needs 48 F-16 aircraft to fully regain control over the regions.