An F-16C Fighting Falcon assigned to the 85th Test Evaluation Squadron shoots an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM over testing ranges near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., March 19, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hoskins)
The United States will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jet fighters and cooperate with its allies to deliver the warplane to Ukraine, national security advisor Jake Sullivan announced on May 20, confirming Washington’s participation in the “fighter jet coalition” planned by Kiev’s allies.
In the past, U.S. President Joe Biden has rejected the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Western jet fighters, claiming that they are not necessary for Kiev’s military operations.
During a press briefing Sullivan explained that the U.S. already helped Ukraine repel Russia’s initial offensive and equipped the country with weapons sufficiently for a successful counteroffensive. Now, the focus is on building Kiev’ future deterrence capabilities, which include F-16 jet fighters.
The training plan will unfold in the coming months. It is unclear yet which countries will be supplying Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. However, the U.S. won’t be providing any of its own.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak and his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, agreed on May 17 to build the “jet fighter coalition” for Ukraine. On May 20, Portugal and Denmark also declared they will join the initiative.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter originally developed by General Dynamics, and now produced by Lockheed Martin.
The fighter jet can deploy a wide range of weapons, the most notable of which are the AIM-120 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, the AGM-154 standoff glide bomb, the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile and the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile.
Recently, Kiev received a number of Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland and Slovakia to make up for some of the aerial losses it sustained after the start of the Russian special military operation. However, its air force is still nearing complete depletion.
Supplying Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets will likely cost billions. Furthermore, the training of Ukrainian pilots could take several months, if not years. Kiev’s allies may opt to provide older models of the fighter jet and hire experienced mercenaries to fly them to solve these issues.
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