Ukraine is preparing measures to protect F-16: Air Force provides details

He said this during the telethon.

"There are already a number of developments on how to safely deploy F-16s in Ukraine so that they can effectively perform tasks and protect our airspace," the Air Force spokesman said.

According to him, after Ukraine receives the fighter jets, the Ukrainian Defense Forces will be able to conduct various operations to repel air strikes and engage the enemy.

"But for this, it is necessary to properly prepare the place where they are based. This is a huge investment, we are talking about underground storage facilities, bunkers. Therefore, we are currently developing methods on how exactly they can be placed," explained Yevlash.

He emphasized that it will be a dispersed location on different types of runways, where it will be difficult for Russians to detect Ukrainian aircraft. For this purpose, in particular, a different set of methods will be used to mislead the invading forces.

F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine

In May last year, 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. And in August, the United States approved the shipment of F-16 multi-role fighters to Ukraine. At the same time, Denmark claimed 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.

Belgium also contributed to the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. 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.

On February 21, it became known that the first group of four Ukrainian pilots plans to complete training on F-16 fighter jets by the summer of 2024.

On March 18, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis approved the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets at the country's military base in Fătesti.

On March 22, it became known that the first 10 Ukrainian pilots had undergone basic training on F-16 fighter jets in the UK.

On March 29, the Belgian government approved a decision to allocate €100 million to Ukraine for the maintenance of F-16 fighter jets. Subsequently, they decided to deliver F-16s to Ukraine this year, but the exact timing is not yet known.