Ukraine will receive six F-16 fighter jets by the end of spring, while European countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium promised to provide it with 45 aircraft, the New York Times writes, APA reports citing TASS.
According to the sources, Denmark will send the first six jets to Ukraine in the late spring. Another 13 planes are expected to arrive in the country by the end of 2025. The remaining European nations have not yet set a specific timeframe for aircraft deliveries.
Meanwhile, the training of Ukrainian pilots "is moving more slowly than Ukraine or its allies had hoped, as pilots trained on Soviet-era planes and tactics have had to get up to speed on the English language and Western military practices to make effective use of the F-16s." This is why Dutch Defense Ministry Spokesman Jurriaan Esser said that "the Netherlands, which has pledged 24 [jets], will hold on to them until Ukraine is ready to receive them."
Besides, the US officials told the paper that "the F-16s alone would not be decisive in the war, and that, at any rate, the training would take a considerable amount of time." Yevgeniya Gaber, a former Ukrainian diplomat and foreign policy adviser, said that the F-16s would be a game changer only "together with other ammo and long-range missiles."
CNN reported earlier, citing Arizona National Guard spokeswoman Erin Hannigan, that the first group of Ukrainian pilots was scheduled to complete training on F-16 fighter jets by the summer. A second group of pilots began training in January and a third group is currently going through English-language training. Hannigan said that all of the pilots were expected to complete their training between May and August, though the exact timeline depended on the progress of the program. Ukrainian Air Force Command Spokesman Yury Ignat said earlier that the Ukrainian pilots undergoing F-16 training had already started practicing strikes on targets.
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