Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Ukraine has received its first US-made F-16 fighter jet.
“F-16s are in Ukraine. We did it,” President Zelensky said during a ceremony at an unnamed air force base, although he added that more was needed.
Ukraine’s leader thanked allies who had been so hesitant to provide aid.
The arrival of the jets marks a major milestone in improving the capabilities of Ukraine’s air force, which relies heavily on older Soviet-era jets.
Although Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine does not yet have enough trained pilots to fly all F-16s, more F-16s are expected and hoped to arrive in the coming months.
He did not specify how many planes arrived in Ukraine or whether they were all sent by Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States, countries he thanked in particular.
NATO countries have committed to buying about 65 F-16s since U.S. President Joe Biden first authorized willing European allies to send about 65 F-16s to Ukraine in August 2023.
The F-16 was introduced in 1978.
The British Air Force does not have any F-16 fighter jets, but it is offering long-range Storm Shadow missiles that can be mounted on aircraft.
Ukraine’s F-16s will work with a limited number of Western-supplied surface-to-air missile systems, such as the Patriot and Nasam missile systems already deployed on the ground.
With the ability to carry rockets, bombs and missiles, the F-16 should theoretically allow the Air Force to conduct more strikes deep within occupied territory and possibly targets closer to the border within Russia.
They can also help defend Russian glide bomb – Dumb munitions equipped with pop-up wing kits and guidance modules to provide precision strike standoff capabilities, similar to the U.S. JDAM munition.
Some 3,000 aircraft were dropped in March alone, mostly from Su-34 fighter-bombers.
If Ukraine can protect its F-16s on the ground, they are expected to play an important role in pushing back Russian aircraft to the point where they can no longer target Ukrainian ground forces with glide bombs.
Kyiv has suggested it could keep some F-16s at foreign military bases, but the suggestion prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to warn that any Western base housing Ukrainian aircraft would become a legitimate military target for Russia.
Experts also say the fighter jets could provide much-needed air support to Ukrainian ground forces, which have faced relentless attacks in recent months, particularly in the eastern Donbass region.
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov previously vowed that Western-made F-16 fighter jets flying to Ukraine would be “shot down.”
“But, of course, these deliveries will not have any significant impact on the development of events on the front line,” he added.
