US F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters may be deployed to Ukraine

Last week the USA officially announced that it was preparing to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s in Europe. The White House is also developing a plan to transfer fourth-generation fighter jets to Ukraine. More details were revealed Monday by US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

Here's What We Know

According to Kendall, the training of Ukrainian pilots will take "months, not years". However, the secretary stressed that the fourth-generation fighters may not become a "game changer" in Ukraine's war against Russia.

Speaking about the training timeframe, Frank Kendall noted the great willingness of Ukrainian pilots to train. According to him, he has never seen more motivated people in terms of wanting to get into combat and make a difference.

At the moment there is no clear understanding of who, when and how many F-16s will hand over to the Ukrainian Air Force. But there are hints. For example, the Netherlands refused to sell 28 fighters to a private American company. In any case, a final decision will be made as training progresses.

Another important point concerns the location of the planes. During a conversation with journalists, Frank Kendall suggested that the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters would be based in Ukraine.

Source: Breaking Defense