Since the beginning of the attack by Russia, Ukraine has been asking its allies for fighter jets, and now that the United States has given final approval to Denmark and the Netherlands to hand over some of their F-16s to Ukraine, observers believe The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia is likely to see a significant change in the way it is fought.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Denmark and the Netherlands (Holland) last week. The visit to these two European countries resulted in an agreement with Ukraine, which will see it receive a total of 61 jets. Of these, 42 will be from the Netherlands and 19 from Denmark.
Calling it a "powerful and productive day", the Ukrainian president thanked both countries as well as the United States for their continued support for Ukraine.
Just as Ukraine got Leopard tanks after long negotiations and Patriot air defense systems even earlier, it is getting US-made F-16 jets after long negotiations.
Russia's response
Western powers, particularly the United States, were hesitant to hand over these items to Ukraine for fear that the decision would lead to a confrontation with Russia.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grishko warned that Western countries would face "big risks" if they supply jets to Ukraine.
The fact that Denmark has decided to give Ukraine 19 F-16s has added to the conflict," Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin told a Danish news agency on Monday.
F-16 delivery times
When we have F-16s, we will win this war," Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ahnant said in May.
Military experts pointed out that fighting a war without significant air support meant the loss of more troops than could otherwise have been avoided.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has shared his intentions and plans to give the jets. He said that the purpose of this shipment was to protect Ukraine. We plan to deliver six jets around the New Year, then eight in the New Year, and five more after that."
However, despite the encouraging news, the delivery of the planes will take a few months. This meant that Ukraine could not use them for some time.
Denmark's plan to send the last batch of aircraft in 2025 indicates that Ukraine's European partners have long-term military intentions.
Such promises are important given how difficult it is to predict the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election.
What type of aircraft is the F16?
The F-16 is one of the most reliable fighter jets in the world. According to the US Air Force, it can be armed with stick-attack-guided missiles and bombs and can fly at a speed of 2,400 kilometers per hour.
The F-16's ability to target targets will allow Ukraine to attack Russian forces with greater precision in all weather conditions and at night.
Ukraine is said to have dozens of warplanes, but most of them are MiGs and all of them are from the Soviet era.
Russia, on the other hand, uses more advanced aircraft that can fly at higher altitudes and detect other aircraft from longer distances.
"The Russian plane can see two to three times further with its radar than our fighter plane, while our fighter is blind and cannot see," Ukrainian Air Force Command spokesman Yuriy Anhat told the Wall Street Journal.
Kyiv needs modern warplanes to protect its airspace from Russian missile and drone attacks and to launch a counterattack in southern and eastern Ukraine that has so far produced limited results.
According to the American military company Lockheed Martin, currently, 3000 F-16 aircraft are being used in 25 countries.
Why the approval of Washington?
For the export and further movement of F-16 aircraft, it is necessary to obtain approval from the US authorities as these aircraft are manufactured in the US.
There is also a political component to this and the fact that the US is the most powerful member of NATO. Such a significant change in policy towards Ukraine cannot happen without his approval.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken sent letters to his counterparts in Denmark and the Netherlands to support Ukraine in this regard.
"It is important that Ukraine can defend itself against Russian aggression and violation of its sovereignty," he wrote.
More importantly for Ukraine, the approval paves the way for potential other fighter jets manufactured outside the United States to be given to Kyiv.
Before the F-16 deal was sealed with Denmark and the Netherlands, Vladimir Zelensky visited Sweden, where he announced that Ukrainian pilots had begun training on Sweden's Jez-39 Gripen aircraft. There are indications that more jets may arrive in Ukraine.
Training first
First, training to fly, operate, and maintain the F-16s will be critical. An extensive training program sponsored by a Western alliance for a select group of Ukrainian military pilots has begun in Denmark.
Denmark's Acting Defense Minister Trials Poulsen is hopeful that he will be able to see the results of the training as early as 2024.
Support staff also need to be trained while a wider maintenance system for jets needs to be designed and secured.
Ukraine's air force commander, Lt. Gen. Mykola Olyshchuk, assured on national television that Ukraine has sufficient capability to protect the aircraft and that is why it is "difficult for Russia to hunt them down."
A Ukrainian fighter pilot nicknamed 'Moonfish' is training to fly F-16 jets. He told a television channel that combat experience and a high level of proficiency in English were important factors in being selected for training.
He said that pilots and technical staff in the current batch of trainees can communicate fluently in English.
The pilot praised the new aircraft for being very modern. "Compared to the planes we're flying now, the F-16 is like an old-fashioned push-button cell phone in front of a new smartphone," he said.
Modernization projects
A long-term training program for Ukrainian pilots is expected to move from Denmark to Romania, a country that recently bought 32 used F-16s from Norway. His net worth is 418 million US dollars. Apart from this, Romania has bought another 17 F-16 aircraft from Portugal.
The air forces of the Netherlands and Denmark are also being upgraded or modernized. Now that they are donating their 'old' planes to Ukraine, they are looking to buy more modern ones.
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