Ukrainian pilots will take to the skies in American-made F-16 fighter jets in the coming weeks to deter Russian airstrikes, the leaders of the US, Denmark and the Netherlands announced on July 10.
The US will arm the fleet of F-16s headed to Ukraine from other European countries with advanced, American-made weapon systems — solving a persistent worry about where munitions for the potentially game-changing fighter jets would come from.
Although the F-16 — known for years as the “Fighting Falcon” — is a high-profile plane that will bolster and expand Kyiv’s military capabilities, it’s unlikely to turn the tide of the grinding conflict on its own, foreign officials said.Europeans say the fighters may help push the Russian air force away from the front and prevent attacks like this, in Toretsk, Ukraine.“It’s an important addition,” said Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. “It’s not in itself changing the war.
Of course, a number of challenges still remain — namely, training enough pilots, maintaining the aircraft and determining how to use them in a way that won’t violate strict American rules, the Journal said.The planes won’t turn the tide of the war on their own, officials said. But they’ll bolster Kyiv’s military.
Maintenance provides another hurdle, as the Ukrainians will need a supply of spare parts to fix jets that are damaged or fail for other reasons.Ukraine wants to fly them right to the border and shoot into Russia, but US officials say the country’s surface-to-air missile systems won’t allow that.
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