F16s to arrive in Ukraine in several months – US Air Force

It will take “several months at best” to get F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said. He noted that this aircraft will become one of the most important elements of the country's armament, and Ukrainian pilots are able to learn to fly the aircraft quickly enough, whereas the training of American pilots takes at least two years.

CNN quotes an American military officer as saying.

The Secretary of the US Air Force also noted that the fourth-generation fighters will be a major contribution to the development of the Ukrainian Air Force, to replace their aging Soviet-legacy planes. According to Kendall, the F-16s will give the Ukrainians the ability to better protect their skies over peaceful cities and attack ground targets from a long distance.

“The F-16 is a reasonable option for them for a whole bunch of reasons. It will give Ukrainians an increment of capabilities that they don’t have right now,” – Kendall said.

Until recently, Washington opposed the transfer of fourth-generation fighter jets to Ukraine. Counterarguments included the existence of higher-priority needs, the long-term pilot training, and fears that this type of weaponry transfer could lead to an escalation with the Russian Federation.

Everything changed last week, after the US agreed to provide Ukraine with new planes to defend its skies. Shortly before that, the UK, the Netherlands, France and a number of other European countries announced the creation of a so-called "aviation coalition" to organize the supply of F-16s to Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian pilots.

“The training of the Ukrainian pilots on American F-16 fighters has already started,” said Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative, Vice President of the European Commission. He added that the combat aircraft are expected to arrive in Kyiv soon.

So far, the details of the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the fourth-generation fighters that Ukraine may receive from international partners have not been announced, nor have the exact dates of their arrival. However, numerous statements indicate an agreement in principle to transfer this type of weapon to Ukraine.