Part of the Ukrainian pilots are already completing training on F-16 aircraft. When the fighters arrive in Ukraine, the pilots will be ready to carry out missions.
This was announced by the spokesperson for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ilya Yevlash, during a televised marathon.
"The training is ongoing, this process continues at various levels. We already have pilots who are completing their training on F-16s. As soon as it becomes possible, the F-16s will arrive in Ukraine, and of course, these pilots will be ready to carry out combat missions in the Ukrainian airspace," he said.
According to the spokesperson, Ukraine needs not just a dozen, but several F-16 aircraft to defend its airspace and repel Russian attacks.
"Of course, we continue to actively support the negotiation process, including discussing the aircraft that are necessary for effectively carrying out combat missions. Naturally, we thank them for their support, for their readiness to assist us in aviation matters, because we need not just a dozen of such aircraft to robustly cover our airspace and repel various attacks. Our partners are not verbose; such matters require silence. We are waiting for them as soon as possible, like all Ukrainians, and we expect the F-16s to be in the Ukrainian skies," Yevlash added.
