Part of the F-16s transferred to the Armed Forces will be kept at foreign bases. In Ukraine, the biggest problem will be cover

Some of the F-16 fighter jets transferred to Ukraine by Western partners will be placed at foreign air bases so that they do not become a target for Russian troops.

The chief of aviation of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhii Holubtsov told about this in an interview with Radio Liberty.

"There is a number that will go to Ukraine. There are a certain number of aircraft that will be stored at secure air bases outside of Ukraine so that they are not targeted here. And this will be our reserve in case of need for replacement of faulty aircraft during routine maintenance. That is, so that we can always have a certain number of aircraft in the operational inventory, which will correspond to the number of pilots we will have. There will be more pilots — there will be more planes in Ukraine," the commander said.

He added that Ukraine has a certain number of airfields prepared for F-16, but their protection will be a real challenge. For such protection, there should be at least two batteries of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, two batteries of NASAMS air defense systems, to work on aerodynamic targets, on drones, and also to cover the Patriot itself. Also part of the cover of airfields will be Gepard type anti-aircraft gun installations and passive protection — fences, technical means of movement, so that no sabotage group can penetrate. All of the above is the minimum protection that is required.

Holubtsov also reminded that four countries — Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands — have already agreed to transfer their F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Speaking about the number of transferred aircraft, he clarified that it is about 30-40 aircraft, but in the future this number may increase, since "almost all countries that have F-16s are gradually rearming with F-35s."

In addition, Holubtsov noted that all F-16s entering service with the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces are modernized.

"I can say that all the planes that will be provided have undergone some modernization, there is an improved sight for detecting air targets. Along with the planes, a special container will be provided, which allows you to find and direct missiles and bombs at ground targets. Also, this modernization mainly related to the conversion of the aircraft for the use of high-precision weapons. In ʼWikipediaʼ you can read, it goes by the abbreviation MLU, it is these planes that will be provided to Ukraine. Of course, we expect that the use of high-precision weapons will allow us to hit the targets that are needed for victory, to advance our ground troops to the state border and liberate our territories," said Holubtsov.

• Ukrainian military pilots and technicians are already undergoing training in the USA, Britain, France, Denmark and Romania. It is expected that Ukraine will have the first six F-16 fighters and 12 trained pilots already in the summer of 2024.
• Some of the F-16 supplier countries ( Netherlands and Denmark ) have already allowed Ukraine to use their F-16 fighters to attack targets on the territory of Russia.