Reznikov reveals when Ukraine will be ready to deploy the F-16

5 June, 2023 An F-16 fighter of the Netherlands Air Force at the Royal International Air Tattoo.

2022 year. Britain. Photo by Andy Reeve-Smith

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, has said when Ukraine will be ready to deploy F-16 fighter jets on its own territory. According to him, Ukraine will not use these warplanes during the expected summer counteroffensive against the Russian invaders. The Minister made the statement in an interview with NHK on Sunday in Singapore.

He told reporters that the F-16s would not make a difference on the battlefield this summer.

Footage from an interview with Oleksii Reznikov on the NHK TV channel, June 4, 2023

Reznikov said that it takes time to train Ukrainian pilots on Western fighter jets. Also, according to him, Ukraine will have to make arrangements with its partners to secure engineers and technicians who can maintain and repair the sophisticated jets.

Myrhorod, Safe Sky 2011 exercise. American F-16 and Ukrainian Su-27 fighters.

2011. Ukraine. Photo credits: poltava.to

According to the Minister, Ukraine will be ready to deploy F-16 fighter jets in autumn or winter.

The head of the defense department added that currently some Western countries were already training Ukrainian pilots to operate the combat planes, and some have offered such assistance. In early June, at a summit in Moldova, several European Prime Ministers discussed with the President of Ukraine the training of Ukrainian pilots in the operation of F-16 fighter jets.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki at the summit in Chisinau on June 1, 2023. The source is Moravetsky's twitter

At a press conference in Chisinau, the Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, said that they had already "made a schedule for these exercises." He also added that "Poland will help Ukraine train F-16 fighter pilots."

U.S.

Air Force pilot training on the F-16 simulator. Photo from open sources

As previously reported, Denmark and the Netherlands will lead a European coalition to conduct training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. In May of this year, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced the required number of F-16s, which is about 48 fighter jets.

The Ukrainian Air Force noted that the effectiveness of the operations of American HARM missiles and JDAM bombs, which Ukraine had already received, would be much better in coaction with F-16 fighters.

It would significantly increase the effectiveness of the use of weapons.