“F-16s are in Ukraine.” “We did it,” President Zelensky stated during a ceremony at an undisclosed airbase, surrounded by two of the aircraft.
Ukraine’s leader thanked allies for what they were previously hesitant to contribute, but emphasized that many more were required.
The delivery of the jets is a significant step in improving Ukraine’s air force capabilities, which are currently largely reliant on antiquated Soviet-era jets.
More F-16s are planned and hoped for in the coming months, though Mr Zelensky conceded that Ukraine currently does not have enough skilled pilots to fly them all.
He did not say how many planes had arrived in Ukraine, or whether they were all dispatched by Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States, which he explicitly praised.
NATO countries have offered approximately 65 F-16s since US President Joe Biden officially authorized willing European allies to deliver them to Ukraine in August 2023.
The F-16 was debuted in 1978. Many Western militaries are in the process of retiring aging jets and replacing them with the US-made F-35, which was launched in 2015.
The UK does not have any F-16s in its air force, but it does sell long-range Storm Shadow missiles that can be installed on the fighters.
