It feels like it’s been so long since it was announced that Ukraine will be getting a flock of F-16s. At one point sources said that these jets are just days away from being delivered or even might be in Ukraine already. However, Ukrainian officials are saying that some work remains to be done before the Air Force of Ukraine starts operating the Fighting Falcon.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon will start its service with the Air Force of Ukraine in 2024. Image credit: U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos via Wikimedia
After long deliberation and behind the curtain discussions it was finally announced in May 2023 that Ukraine will be getting Western fighter jets. The advantage of the F-16 over its soviet counterparts used by Ukraine is that it can detect enemy targets at a much further distance and can carry more capable weapons systems.
A training centre for Ukrainian pilots was set up in Romania and a big coalition, consisting of Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, was created to help Ukraine move towards the F-16.
At the end of 2023 and at the beginning of 2024 strange messages started appearing online regarding the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine. Some reports claimed that the first batch of F-16s was just days away. But the good news never came and the Fighting Falcon is still not defending the skies of Ukraine.
The representative of the Air Force of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat explained that Ukraine still has to do some work in order to be able to effectively receive F-16 fighter jets.
“Partners are ready to provide us with these capabilities. The question is whether everything is ready for their work in Ukraine. Quite often we see all kinds of timelines or predictions coming from different countries or experts. It is clear that everything needs to be prepared, including pilots, infrastructure and maintenance technicians. There are other factors that are not so widely discussed as well,” Ihnat said.
So when? Well, the official timeline is “2024”, as was recently stressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitro Kuleba.
“F-16 fighters will appear in Ukraine this year. The most important thing is that everyone understands that everything is going according to plan from the side of the F-16 coalition partners. They fulfill their obligations and we move towards our goals. There are three components: technical preparation of the aircraft, pilots and engineers, and infrastructure,” Kuleba said.
It was recently revealed that Ukrainian pilots are already flying F-16 fighters, but their training progress is a secret. In fact, the delivery of the first batch of F-16s will be a secret too – don’t expect a big announcement. They will likely appear silently and you will only find out when some civilian takes a picture of the Fighting Falcon in Ukraine.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Ukrinform.net, TSN.ua, Wikipedia