F-16 Aircraft Allegedly Approved for Transfer to Ukraine from Denmark and Netherlands



Secretary of state Antony Blinken gives ‘full help’ for move of F-16s and preparing of pilots

Dutch air force F-16 fighter jets fly alongside an aircraft simulating aerial interceptions. The US has approved sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands to defend against Russia as soon as pilot training is completed, Washington says. Photograph: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters
Dutch air force F-16 fighter jets fly alongside an aircraft simulating aerial interceptions. The US has approved sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands to defend against Russia as soon as pilot training is completed, Washington says. Photograph: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters

The US has supported sending F-16 warrior planes to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands when pilot preparing is finished, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, says in a letter seen by the Reuters news organization.

Washington will assist the endorsement of move demands for F-16s, the letter – shipped off Blinken’s partners in Denmark and the Netherlands – was accounted for to say. The US should support the exchange of the tactical planes from its partners to Ukraine.

“I’m writing to communicate the US’s full help for both the exchange of F-16 contender airplane to Ukraine and for the preparation of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 teachers,” Blinken said in the letter.

“It stays basic that Ukraine can guard itself against progressing Russian hostility and infringement of its sway.”

The US president, Joe Biden, embraced preparing programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s in May. Notwithstanding Denmark, an instructional hub was to be set up in Romania. Russia answered the support by guaranteeing that giving F-16s to Ukraine represented a “huge gamble” to western countries.

US air force F16 fighter jets fly in formation. (AFP/File)
US air force F16 fighter jets fly in formation. (AFP/File)

An alliance of 11 nations is because of begin preparing Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 planes this month in Denmark. Denmark’s acting guard serve, Troels Poulsen, said in July that it would have liked to see “results” from the preparation in mid 2024.

The US endorsement comes a day after Ukraine said that in light of current courses of events, it wouldn’t have the option to work the planes by pre-winter or winter.

“It’s as of now clear we will not have the option to guard Ukraine with F-16 contender jets during this pre-winter and winter,” Ukraine aviation based armed forces representative Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian TV late on Wednesday.

“We had large expectations for this plane, that it will turn out to be important for air safeguard, ready to shield us from Russia’s rockets and robots illegal intimidation.”

Ukraine’s unfamiliar clergyman, Dmytro Kuleba, said: ” Ukrainian pilots will get back from the preparation, and the planes will return with them.”

Blinken composed that the endorsement of the solicitations would permit Ukraine to take “full benefit of its new capacities when the main arrangement of pilots total their preparation”.

On 12 July Kuleba said F-16s were supposed to be functional in Ukraine – with pilots prepared to fly them – by Walk 2024.

Ukraine had a little flying corps of Soviet-standard planes toward the beginning of the conflict. It has effectively looked for the US-made F-16 contender to assist it with countering Russian air predominance. US authorities have secretly said F-16 planes would have been of little assistance to Ukraine in its ongoing counteroffensive and won’t be a unique advantage when they ultimately show up, given Russian air protection frameworks and challenged skies over Ukraine.



The US has likewise hailed difficulties in finding an adequate number of pilots with the English abilities expected to finish the preparation, the New York Times revealed. Just eight battle pilots – insufficient for a group – had been distinguished up to this point, the paper said, refering to American authorities. Around 20 additional pilots were being shipped off the UK this month, to purportedly become familiar with the English wording related with the planes.


How should F-16s significantly impact Ukraine in the conflict against Russia?

US will back worldwide work to prepare Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other present day contender jets


What is the F-16?

The F-16 Battling Bird of prey is a lightweight contender airplane that was at first planned during the 1970s. It previously went into administration in 1979, and was utilized vigorously by the US Aviation based armed forces in both Iraq wars and in Afghanistan.

Initially worked by the US in a consortium with Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, the fly, which can travel two times the speed of sound, became one of the most well known military airplane ever and stays in wide use. Lockheed Martin, the US producer, says there are in excess of 3,000 F-16s in help in 25 nations.

Today, it has been supplanted by the F-35, yet it is as yet being made available to be purchased by Lockheed in South Carolina. That is on the grounds that it is less expensive – costing during the several millions – and in light of the fact that the US doesn’t necessarily in every case give trade authorization for the more present day stream.


For what reason does Ukraine need them?

Ukraine had a little flying corps of Soviet-standard planes toward the beginning of the conflict, adding up to around 120 battle skilled airplane, as indicated by the IISS research organization. That number has dwindled as the conflict has proceeded, however – strikingly, given the quantity of Russian airplane and air protections – specialists say Ukraine holds a restricted air capacity. In any case, over the long haul, its aviation based armed forces should be renewed.

An inquisitive element of the Ukraine war has been its generally restricted utilization of air power. Russia’s enemy of airplane protections are thought of as successful, and Moscow has been hesitant to gamble with its own aviation based armed forces past the cutting edge, as it likewise needs to limit misfortunes. The previous US Flying corps general Philip Breedlove has depicted the air circumstance as one of “shared disavowal”.

In any case, Kyiv trusted units of quick planes could be utilized to help a forward leap, or least assist with dulling a significant Russian assault.


What is the ongoing reasoning in the west?

Ukraine started a prominent campaigning effort for the warrior jets in January, very quickly after Germany and the US said they would supply their own tanks to Ukraine interestingly.

France, which makes its own battle jets, appeared to be available to the thought all along. President Emmanuel Macron said their stock was not no, as lengthy it couldn’t be considered escalatory and they were not used to target Russian soil.

In any case, the White House position is basic, in light of the fact that the US has command over the planes’ re-send out and no country needs to be in conflict with Washington, given worries about any conceivable Russian counter.

F-16 Fighting Falcon - Airplane Blueprint. Drawing Plans for General Dynamics F-16
Guardian graphic. Source: f-16.net, drawingdatabase.com

The US demeanor has developed quickly, from a firm no from Joe Biden in late January, to western briefings on 19 May that the US will back a joint worldwide work to prepare Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 and other current warrior jets. The choice doesn’t be guaranteed to mean F-16s and other warrior planes will be provided promptly on the consummation of preparing. Rather, it will give the US and its partners the capacity to convey planes at short notification.

The difference at the top of the priority list reverberations discussions over the inventory of different weapons, like tanks.


What about preparing and support?

Western authorities said on 19 May that preparing will start in the following couple of weeks at a vague site in Europe and will require a couple of months to finish.

Figuring out how to fly the F-16s is a task for experienced pilots, and they would need to be removed from the conflict to prepare. Ukraine is said to have recognized 50 pilots who it would expect to quickly prepare.

Gauges change, however it could require four to a half year to prepare pilots to a battle capability. The prerequisites go past pilots as well. ” An airplane needs to accompany a weapons bundle, ground group and backing,” said Douglas Barrie, of the IISS research organization, meaning Ukraine will require spare faculty and to prepare its own unit of specialists. It is more convoluted than figuring out how to utilize a western tank.


Could F-16s have the expected effect on the war zone?

To a limited extent, it is an issue of the number of F-16s Ukraine could get. The nation’s flying corps has strikingly requested 200, a number that even a liberal west might be hesitant to give in the principal example.

Justin Bronk, an air investigator with the Rusi research organization, forewarned that the strength of the Russian air guards implied customary close air support – bombarding adversary positions – was difficult to accomplish in light of the fact that planes had to fly low to dodge discovery. Subsequently, their benefits as far as weapons and radar may just be steady.

“Western contenders with deadlock weapons would offer Ukraine a superior capacity to obliterate fixed Russian focuses close the bleeding edges from a more secure distance,” he tweeted, however “they would add existing strike choices like Himars [rocket artillery] and drawing from restricted stores”.

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