Ukraine is rearming with F-16s in record time: the world has never seen anything like it – Ignat
According to Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Ukraine is switching to F-16s on an emergency basis, as no other country in the world has done.
According to Yuriy Ihnat, active work is underway: pilots are being retrained, infrastructure is being adapted, temporary shelters are being built, and runways are being improved.
In a time of war, we cannot build a major infrastructure for the F-16 in accordance with the requirements of NATO countries, but the planes can still take off from what we have. No one knows exactly when Ukraine will have F-16s. We expect it as soon as possible.
Yuriy Ihnat
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman
He also drew attention to the fact that Ukraine is switching to F-16s on an emergency basis, as no other country in the world has done.
However, according to Ihnat, we should not expect that Ukraine will immediately defeat Russia on the battlefield after receiving the fighter jets.
You understand that at first a small group of pilots will arrive and start working in the sky, and of course Russia will react accordingly. However, the process of training pilots and increasing their number in Ukraine will be gradual,” emphasized Yuriy Ihnat.
What else is known about the provision of F-16s to Ukraine
The spokesman also noted that our pilots will not receive 40, 70 or 120 aircraft at once.
In addition, it is stated that these will not be the latest modifications.
Nevertheless, the process is ongoing, and pilots are being trained – all of this is happening on an accelerated basis.
This is a multi-purpose aircraft, so we need to practice striking both ground and surface targets in the future. That’s why our pilots are doing it on an emergency basis, as I said, on an accelerated basis, because in general, the retraining course should last 2 years. And we do it much faster,” Ignat added.
