Kyiv [Ukraine], August 21: Equipping the Ukrainian Air Force with a new fighter model like the F-16 is not a simple matter, not to mention the unpredictable impact on hostilities.
Last night (August 20), Reuters reported that Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky had arrived in the Netherlands on the same day and had a meeting with the host Prime Minister Mark Rutte. After the meeting, Prime Minister Rutte announced: "Today, we can announce that the Netherlands and Denmark are committed to the delivery of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Air Force, including in cooperation with the United States. with other partners after such transfer conditions are met". During the trip, Mr. Zelensky also visited a military base where there are F-16 fighter jets.
Reuters news agency on August 20 quoted Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov as saying that the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets has just begun and will take about six months or more. This is the minimum time to train the pilots, while it is not clear how much longer will be needed to train the engineers and mechanics.
Run with time
Mr. Reznikov has not revealed a specific time and location, but said the training course includes technical language training, because basic English is not enough. The Hill newspaper quoted Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center for Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-profit organization in the US, as saying that equipping the new aircraft model for a country's air force and maintaining them is more difficult than many people think. "The process is difficult, time-consuming and resource-intensive," he said.
The timing of the delivery of the F-16s will depend on how quickly Ukrainian pilots learn in a training program made public in July by 11 European allies. Military analysts also question Kyiv's ability to fully synchronize a new aircraft model, helping the air force operate at maximum efficiency. Joseph Shelzi, an expert at Soufan Group, a global security consulting firm based in the US, said the F-16 deal meant "long-term security protection" for Ukraine, as it would take months for Kyiv to integrate. completely this type of aircraft into the armed forces.
Ukraine's expectations
From the beginning of the war until now, Ukrainian aircraft have been almost inferior to their Russian opponents, although neither side has fully controlled the air. Ukrainian pilots mainly use old Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters. This is a major obstacle to the counter-offensive operation in the Zaporizhzhia province, where Ukrainian soldiers face numerous obstacles, including Russian attack helicopters.
Information about the F-16 made the Ukrainian side extremely excited, when the air force and many officials posted photos of this model on their social media accounts. Observers believe that the F-16 can target Russia's command, communication, logistics, air defense and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to deal with cruise missiles and drones. UAV) if equipped with appropriate radar and ammunition.
However, expert Shelzi said that Russia will maintain "air force advantage in quantity and quality" in the short term. "It's hard to expect too much from a new instrument. The F-16 is a very sophisticated and multi-mission capable aircraft. But I don't think it will have any impact on strategic outcomes. in the war," he predicted.
Meanwhile, on Defense News, expert Michael Bohnert at the Rand Corporation (USA) said that Russia is abusing its fighters, so it suffers great losses. Therefore, he thinks Russia can reduce its air superiority, even if the F-16s that Ukraine will receive do not win a single air battle.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper