F-16s and long-range missiles are not enough, comprehensive approach needed — Ukrainian military

He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

"You know, I don't believe that there is a perfect weapon and I don't believe that F-16s will radically change the situation on the battlefield. It is certainly important that we will now be given long-range missiles and F-16s, but I do not believe that this is the main formula for success, I doubt that they will give us these and everything will turn around, it is a complex story. We need drones and large-caliber ammunition, and no country in the world is currently able to produce as much of it as the Ukrainian Armed Forces need even in a week. The United States of America produces as much 155-caliber ammunition in a year as we spend, for example, in two or three weeks," the military explains.

Hai assures that F-16s are not a panacea for success, because we do not know what their equipment will be. "It's a platform and the question of how they are equipped, what kind of equipment they have, what generation they are, what kind of weapons they carry because it's just a platform, relatively speaking, a constructor on which you can hang anything. We don't know what they are going to give us, all the countries of the world have been collecting artillery and tanks, believe me, a lot of them are beyond repair," the volunteer emphasized.

The Armed Forces officer added that the number of bombs that Ukraine may receive this year is also unknown.

At the same time, he recalled the Bayraktar tactical strike UAV, how it was popular and effective at the war's beginning, and now nothing is heard about it: "There is no perfect weapon, everything works only in a complex."

F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine

On May 21, US President Joe Biden approved the training of Ukrainians on F-16s. Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured that Ukraine would not use these aircraft to strike at Russian territory. 

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that the first F-16 fighter jets are likely to fly in Ukraine's skies by the end of March 2024.

On August 17, the United States approved the shipment of F-16 multi-role fighters to Ukraine.

At the same time, Denmark said it would supply Ukraine with the aircraft if they were not used in Russia.  

The Netherlands will provide 42 fighter jets. At the same time, Norway will provide Ukraine with F-16s, but the exact number is unknown.

On September 15, Belgium joined the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. Earlier, the Belgian Defense Ministry said it would not provide Ukraine with F-16 fighters because they are outdated and in poor condition. Such aircraft are dangerous to operate. 

On October 11, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that the country would be able to deliver the first F-16s to Ukraine in March-April 2024.

On October 12, the media reported that the Netherlands would send F-16s to Romania, where Ukrainian pilots would begin training in a few weeks.

On October 26, Ukrainian pilots began flight training on F-16s at an air base in Arizona, USA.

On November 1, the Pentagon said that the training in Arizona could last from 5 to 9 months. 

In early January 2024, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that Ukrainian pilots would complete training on F-16 fighter jets this year.