Ukraine received 10 F-16s so far, with more to come by year's end

Ukraine received the first 10 out of the possible 79 F-16 planes on 31 July, a year after the US authorised its more willing European partners to supply them. By the end of 2024, Ukraine should receive 20 such fighters.

Source: The Economist

Details: According to the publication, the remaining F-16 fighter jets, promised by a coalition led by Denmark and the Netherlands, will arrive in groups by 2025.

According to Ben Hodges, the former commander of US forces in Europe, the dissatisfaction with how long it took to get the planes to Ukraine is excessive.

He claims that Ukraine’s allies failed to send enough F-16s to make a difference earlier was a "policy decision by the administration" because of a "pitiful" deficiency of training slots for Ukrainian pilots.

Language barriers have also contributed to the overall complication. Ukraine’s pilots are described as excellent and battle-hardened, however even these relatively old F-16s are significantly different and more sophisticated than the Soviet-era MiG-29s and Sukhoi-27s they are accustomed to.

According to Nico Lange, a former chief of staff in Germany's Defence Ministry, the Russians view the supplied aircraft as a priority target. This is why they have been deployed with utmost secrecy in dispersed sites with subterranean or hardened shelters, as well as decoys. 

Journalists feel that because the number of fighters is slowly expanding, it may take some time for the F-16 to make a big difference.

It will take time to integrate the F-16 into Ukraine's air defence systems and develop operational experience. General Hodges believes that coordinating aircraft flights from multiple airfields will be a hard undertaking.

Quote: "Still, the F-16s’ arrival marks the start of building a NATO-standard air force. It plugs Ukraine into the F-16’s well-developed supply chain. NATO weapons systems such as Storm Shadow/Scalp missiles will be far more effective when carried by a plane they were designed for, rather than lashed on to elderly MiGs and Sukhois. Ukraine’s F-16s also come equipped with Link-16, a NATO tactical data-link that allows secure communications and improved situational awareness. 

Too few and too late though they may be, the F-16s’ importance should not be underestimated."

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