Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have pledged to provide Ukraine with more than 60 US-made F-16 fighter jets to help it in its conflict with Russia. Ukrainian pilots are now being trained to fly the planes ahead of deliveries expected to begin later this year.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (right) and Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder (left), pose with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of an F-16 at Melsbroek military airport in Brussels, on May 28, 2024. AP Photo/Virginia Mayo
Serhii Holubtsov, head of the aviation department in the Ukrainian air force, said that "a certain number of aircraft will be stored at secure air bases outside Ukraine to avoid being targeted there".
Holubtsov said that these F-16s could be used to replace damaged aircraft during repairs as well as to train Ukrainian pilots abroad.
“So we can always maintain a certain number of aircraft in the operational formation corresponding to the number of pilots we have,” he said. “If there are more pilots, there will be more aircraft in Ukraine.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could consider attacking facilities in NATO countries if they host fighter jets used in Ukraine.
“If they are located at air bases outside the Ukrainian border and used in combat, we will have to consider how and where to strike the means used to fight against us,” Mr Putin said last year. “This poses a serious danger that NATO could be drawn into further conflict.”
In March, the Russian leader again warned Ukraine's Western allies against providing air bases from which F-16s could launch strikes against Kremlin forces, saying such bases would become a "legitimate target."
"The F-16 is capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and we will also need to take that into account when organizing our combat operations," Putin said.
On Monday, Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Defense Committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, told state news agency RIA Novosti that NATO bases hosting Ukrainian F-16s would be "legitimate targets" for Moscow if the planes used them to attack Russia.
The F-16 requires high standards of runways and reinforced hangars to protect it from ground attack. It is unclear how many Ukrainian air bases can meet those requirements, and Russia will surely quickly target the few bases that can accommodate them when the aircraft arrive.
Holubtsov noted that the F-16s will help protect frontline and border areas from Russian glide bombs, which have caused significant damage to both troops and residential areas, including Kharkiv. Glide bombs are Soviet-era heavy bombs equipped with precision guidance systems and launched from aircraft that fly beyond the range of air defense systems.
Cao Phong (according to AP)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ukraine-co-the-cat-giu-tiem-kich-f-16-o-nuoc-ngoai-de-tranh-bi-tan-cong-post298841.html
Comment (0)