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Ukraine has received the first batch of F-16 fighter jets
Even though Bloomberg reported on Jul. 31 ,2024 that Ukraine has received the first batch of fourth-generation US-made F-16 fighter jets, according to world famous modern military aviation author and The Aviation Geek Club contributor Tom Cooper since Jul. 30, 2024 the video from which the ‘screen-grab’ in this article was drawn is making circles in the social media:
‘Reportedly, this was taken ‘somewhere in Ukraine’, two days or three ago.
‘The jet visible on the video and the still is – definitely – an F-16. Indeed, one armed with AIM-120s on its wing-tips, and carrying the usual pair of drop tanks on its inboard underwing stations. That much is sure,’ Cooper said on his blog Sarcastosaurus.
The news of the arrival of the F-16s comes a year after the allied “fighter jet coalition” took shape at the Vilnius NATO summit under the Danish and Dutch leadership.
An unnamed source familiar with the matter revealed to Bloomberg not only that the deadline for the transfer of F-16s was late July, but also that Ukraine received “a small number” of the planes.
According to The Kyiv Independent, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway are expected to deliver at least 79 F-16s to Ukraine, with the deliveries to continue in the coming years.
These countries also pledged to help train Ukrainian pilots and technical staff to operate the fighter jets.
The same source explained to Bloomberg that it is not clear if the trained Ukrainian pilots will be able to use combat aircraft immediately or the process will take longer.
These reports have not been confirmed yet by Kyiv.
Not a game-changer
As already explained [CLICK HERE to read the article], the F-16 will not be a game-changer in the war. Nevertheless, it will provide the Ukrainian Air Force with tactical options they’ve never had since the war began: in fact, the F-16s will be able to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense capabilities and shield the country’s population centers from Russia’s daily bombings.
The upcoming delivery of F-16s to Ukraine will challenge Russia’s “full dominance” of the skies over the Black Sea explained Ukrianian Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa.
Noteworthy, Denmark and the Netherlands said they will Ukraine to strike with F-16s inside Russia, although Copenhagen said that such a move would “depend on the circumstances.”
The Fighting Falcon
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations.
In an air combat role, the F-16’s maneuverability and combat radius (distance it can fly to enter air combat, stay, fight and return) exceed that of all potential threat fighter aircraft. It can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground clutter. In an air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than 500 miles (860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with superior accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point. An all-weather capability allows it to accurately deliver ordnance during non-visual bombing conditions.
Kyiv has begged for the F-16 Fighting Falcon since the start of the full-scale invasion.
