Amidst expectations and ongoing delays, the arrival of the first batch of multirole F-16 fighters to Ukraine could occur after Orthodox Easter, on the upcoming Sunday, May 5th, as reported by the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Air Force, Ilya Yevlash.
Yevlash, however, did not provide specific details regarding the dates, stating that the Air Force “is not thinking about these dates,” as they have already been changed multiple times. “Our task is to work with what is provided to us; we are not directly responsible for the supplies, this is a matter for the highest military-political leadership. When the first fighters arrive in Ukraine, we will definitely talk about it,” Yevlash declared on television.
Initial reports in August 2023 indicated that the multirole fighters would be delivered to Ukraine by New Year, although the dates have been delayed on multiple occasions, with more recent reports pointing to the second quarter of this year, which aligns with Yevlash’s statements.
Since 2023, multiple nations have announced their plans to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, whose modern avionics – unlike the current Soviet-era aircraft used by Ukraine – will aid the country’s efforts to control its airspace against Russian aerial threats.
Denmark and the Netherlands were among the first countries to promise F-16s to Ukraine during the summer of 2023, with others committing to training Ukrainian pilots to operate standard NATO multirole fighters.
Reports from November 2023 also indicated that maintenance of the multirole fighters would be carried out in Poland, although it is unclear whether Ukraine and its Western allies will proceed with this plan. Time constraints are likely not based on the availability of aircraft structure but rather on factors related to the completion of specialized training for pilots and maintenance personnel, as well as infrastructure requirements.
According to Ukrainian media, it would not be reasonable to bring the aircraft without an available and operational system to fly them in combat-ready condition or even station them at an airbase from which they could not quickly disperse if the airbase were under imminent Russian attacks.
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