Zelensky says Ukraine has received first F-16 jets – Technologist

Ukraine has received its first batch of US-made F-16 fighter jets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, August 4, showing journalists the aircraft that Kyiv hopes will help beat back Russian forces.

“We often heard the word ‘impossible’… Now it is a reality. Reality in our skies. F-16s in Ukraine. We made it happen,” Zelensky said, though adding that “the number of F-16s we have in Ukraine, the number of pilots who have already been trained, is not enough.”

Zelensky was standing in front of what looked like two grey, partially-covered F-16s branded with the Ukrainian trident, in a location reporters were asked not to disclose for security reasons. “I am proud of all our guys who are mastering these aircraft and have already started using them for our country,” he said. He did not say how many jets had been delivered and declined to comment on their specific tasks, but Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists saw at least two F-16s on the spot.

The announcement will likely be welcomed by many and comes as Kyiv’s forces are struggling to hold back advances by Russian troops in recent weeks. Kyiv hopes the arrival of the fighter jets – touted for their precision, speed and range – will enable it to better protect itself from Russian bombardment.

‘Not enough’

Zelensky, however, immediately warned more were needed. “Our partners know that the number of F-16s we have in Ukraine, the number of pilots who have already been trained, is not enough,” he said. “The good news is that we are expecting additional F-16s,” he added.

Several NATO countries have pledged to supply varying numbers of the fighter jets and have been training Ukrainian pilots and crews for months. “Our guys are training a lot,” Zelensky said, thanking Denmark, the Netherlands, the US and other allies.

Amid a Russian air campaign in recent months, the president has placed Ukraine’s need for improved air defenses at the top of his agenda in meetings with allies. Ukraine’s partners, however, have promised to send less than 100 F-16s to date, with most likely to arrive over the course of several years following substantial pilot training.

Recent strikes on Ukrainian airfields have also raised questions about Kyiv’s ability to protect the multi-million-dollar planes from Russian raids. In early July, Russia claimed to have destroyed five military jets during a barrage on an air base in central Ukraine. Following the bombing, Ukrainian military correspondents lambasted the air force’s top brass, saying planes at the airfield had been parked in the open without sufficient protection.

Russia warned last week that any F-16s delivered to Ukraine would be shot down and claimed they would have little impact on the battlefield.

Ukraine’s air force has long relied on a fleet of aging Soviet-era MIG-29 and Sukhoi jets, which have increasingly come under strain following more than two years of demanding combat missions. The situation remains tense on the eastern front, with authorities announcing mandatory evacuations of children from several towns and villages of the Donetsk region, where Russia has been advancing.