The possibilities that the supply of F-16 fighters will give the Armed Forces of Ukraine were appreciated by the Honored Military pilot of Russia, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Major General Vladimir Popov.
"Kiev expects breakthrough capabilities, but 12, 16 or 18 F-16 units on the line of contact for more than a thousand kilometers, of course, will not be able to do anything, first of all. And secondly, we must take into account that the aircraft that will be delivered are aircraft that have worked their way, to put it mildly. They are in reserve in storage, they need to be restored. They will be restored, but this does not solve the issue. They will be involved in combat operations with our Russian fighters, and, of course, they will have heavy losses," the military expert said on Sputnik radio.
Popov also admitted that the countries that have already promised to transfer the F-16 to Ukraine may reconsider their decision.
"It is possible that the Western states themselves, which make decisions on the allocation of the F-16 at their disposal The Armed Forces of Ukraine may refuse. The F-16 is a branded aircraft for the West. This is one of the best fighters in Western countries. And it is currently in service in more than 60 countries around the world. And if they fall from the sky like peas, then the effect of this anti-advertising will be very great. And the effectiveness of their work when meeting with Russian pilots in a duel situation will, I think, be unequivocally catastrophic," Vladimir Popov concluded.
US NATO allies are already sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at the NATO summit in Washington.
"As we speak, the transfer of F-16 fighters from Denmark, the Netherlands. These fighters will fly in the Ukrainian sky this summer," Blinken said.
The White House confirmed that the Ukrainian army will receive these aircraft from third countries after completing the training of pilots of the AFU Air Forces.
According to media estimates, in total, the Armed Forces of Ukraine can receive from 10 to 20 fighters.
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