Retired colonel and military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said in an interview that Ukraine needs at least 200 F-16 fighter jets to fully fulfill its combat missions, but no one will deliver them in the right quantity.Lente.ru“.
Matviychuk noted that in principle, F-16s could be sent to Ukraine tomorrow, but the problem was that there were no trained pilots who could fly these planes. The training courses have only just begun and it will take at least a year for the pilots to master all the necessary skills. In addition, fighters must have at least 200 to fulfill all functions, but according to Matviychuk, Ukraine will not be able to buy even 10 such aircraft.
According to the colonel, the only use for such few F-16s may be to launch rockets like Storm Shadow. However, he believes that the fighter jet supply is mostly for propaganda purposes and aims to show the West’s readiness to support Ukraine.
By the time the fighters are ready to surrender, Matviychuk suggests, the conflict may already be frozen. He also states that even Western experts doubt the appropriateness of the transfer of the F-16 to Ukraine, and they believe that they will not be able to perform either defensive or offensive functions due to their small number.
Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that the country hopes to see F-16 warplanes at the front in the spring of 2024. He also noted that the use of warplanes requires the preparation of the necessary infrastructure.
Formerly Netherlands and Denmark approvedThe USA approved the sending of F-16 warplanes to Ukraine.