Ukraine should receive entire aviation systems, not just aircraft and weapons – Ukrainian aviator Khazan

Ukrainian aviator Hennadiy Khazan stated it on Espreso. 

"Let's imagine we have around 20-30 planes. The cost of flying them would be extremely high. Having this number of planes won't significantly change the situation in the air. They might have some influence, but not a major impact. It's like having 100 skilled teams with only 5 sniper rifles between them," he explained.

Khazan believes that Ukraine needs more than just planes and weapons; it requires a comprehensive aviation system to ensure their effective use.

"If Ukraine is to have an aviation capability, which it should have, it needs a complete system. We didn't ask for just one type of air defense; we need a full aviation component to protect and support our ground troops. In discussions with allies, they always notice that our air depot needs more," the aviator concluded.

F-16 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.

Defense Ministry adviser Yuriy Sak said that Ukraine hopes to receive the first modern American F-16 fighters in the fall of 2023.

On May 25, at a meeting in the Ramstein format, it was announced that the coalition to train the Ukrainian Armed Forces with F-16s would be led by Denmark and the Netherlands and would include four other countries: Norway, Belgium, Portugal, and Poland. 

On June 14, one of the leaders of the "aviation coalition," the Netherlands, announced that training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s would begin in the coming months.

The same day, it was reported that Denmark and the Netherlands plan to start training Ukrainian pilots this summer and will establish a training center in an Eastern European NATO country.

Following the Ramstein meeting, Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov expressed confidence that we would have a "bird coalition." He also assured that the pilots of the Ukrainian Air Force can master the Western F-16 fighters faster than Ukraine's allies expect, and the four-month period looks realistic, while technicians need more time.

On July 6, media reported that Romania would become a base for training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

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 Sunday, July 16, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the US would not postpone training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, and Biden allowed European countries to start training.

On July 22, Sullivan also said that Ukrainian pilots would begin training on F-16s in the next few weeks.

On July 26, John Kirby said that the US and its allies have not yet decided on a place for Ukrainian F-16 training.