Today, in a ceremony led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian Air Force unveiled and celebrated the incorporation of its first two F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters. Based on the officially released images and videos, this first batch of aircraft would consist of units transferred by the Royal Danish Air Force.
At the beginning of the month, various indications suggested that the first F-16s transferred by a coalition formed by Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, with the approval of the United States, had already arrived on Ukrainian soil. Various viralized videos and images on social media showed the flight of these fighters, but they had not been confirmed by official Ukrainian sources at that time.
However, yesterday, August 4, in the context of an official ceremony led by Volodymyr Zelensky, the first two F-16 fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force were unveiled. These first units are F-16AM fighters with serial numbers UA 80-3596 and UA 80-3599, transferred by Denmark.
Although no further details were provided, these first two observed F-16s are part of a larger batch of fighters pledged by Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, comprising up to 65 F-16AM/BM. It is worth noting that not all aircraft will be used in combat missions, as it is presumed that several units will be used as sources of spare parts to sustain an operational core of units dedicated to these functions.
However, despite the arrival of the first Fighting Falcons, the Ukrainian Air Force will still have a long way to go to achieve Full Operational Capability with these new combat aircraft, which will provide relief to the depleted Ukrainian combat fleets, composed of MiG-29 and Su-27, after more than two years of uninterrupted conflict.
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