NATO Supplies F-16s to Ukraine Amid Russian Tensions

By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News

It’s now official: Ukrainian pilots will take to the skies of their homeland in F-16s in the next couple of months.

The US, Dutch and Danish governments made the announcement Wednesday as NATO continued its meetings in Washington. Planes also will be coming from Norway and Belgium.

“Those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself from the Russian aggression,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. According to a statement from the three governments, the Netherlands and Denmark have begun transferring the fourth-generation fighters to Ukraine.

Eventually, Ukraine will get more than 60 F-16s. In the US, Ukrainian pilots and ground crews began training at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona last October. They’re also being trained in the Netherlands and Denmark.

The training has involved fighter fundamentals, how to use the plane’s weapons and combat maneuvering. Still, the pipeline of pilots is not exactly robust. According to Reuters, the head of Ukraine’s parliamentary commission on arms and munitions says there that by the end of the year there will be roughly 20 pilots ready to fly the F-16.

Ukraine’s air force flies Soviet-era planes – the Mig-29 and three Sukhoi models. The F-16s have better technology that would allow them to target Russian jets, bombs and missiles. But, while the F-16 agreement made headlines when it was announced a year ago, it may not have the anticipated impact, unless Ukraine can establish air superiority.