No country has re-equipped so quickly: military expert on F-16 for Ukraine

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"F-16s won't drastically change the battlefield at first. But with experience and more aircraft, their impact will grow. No country has received and re-equipped with F-16s as quickly as Ukraine. We expect 20 aircraft by the end of the year, with 6 arriving this summer. The main issue is pilot training. Our partners can't provide more training grounds and bases, though some Ukrainian pilots have already been trained," Zgurets noted.

According to the military expert, 6 pilots are trained, and up to 20 more will be trained by year-end.

"Starokostiantyniv is likely the base airfield the enemy targets with cruise missiles. But other airfields are ready for F-16s. Using these aircraft effectively is also challenging. We might extend the process to autumn, though I hope 6 will arrive by summer for limited tasks and to develop tactics," Zgurets explained.

• On July 10, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Denmark and the Netherlands have started transferring F-16 jets to Ukraine.
• Deputy Head of the President's Office Ihor Zhovkva confirmed that Ukraine has delivery schedules from partner countries.