Ukrainian Air Force spokesman says Ukrainian F-16s will be deployed in underground bunkers
Ukraine is actively preparing the infrastructure for the deployment of F-16 fighters and a set of security measures for their storage. Ilya Yevlash, a spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said this.
A representative of the Air Force says that Ukraine has developed a number of measures to safely deploy F-16s. At the same time, they will be able to effectively and efficiently perform combat missions. According to Yevlash, with the arrival of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters, they will be able to conduct various operations to repel air attacks and neutralize the positions of the Russian occupiers.
“To do this, it is necessary to properly prepare the place where they are based. This is a huge investment, we are talking about underground storage facilities, bunkers. Therefore, we are currently developing methods on how they can be placed,” explained Yevlash.
The planes will be dispersed and located in places where they will be difficult to identify. The military is preparing a set of methods to mislead Russian intelligence.
Last week, at a Ramstein meeting, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that F-16s would begin arriving in Ukraine “this year,” with pilots and maintenance personnel already trained. The New York Times reported in March that the planes would arrive this summer. Unfortunately, the pilots’ training was delayed, so 12 trained pilots will be the first to return. As for the fighters, the first batch is likely to consist of 6 aircraft.
The main donors of F-16s for Ukraine will be Belgium, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands. A total of 45 aircraft are expected to arrive. Denmark is also training about 50 technicians who will service the F-16. The fighters are expected to be equipped with bombs and missiles of various ranges.
