Ukraine has received its first American-made F-16 fighter jets, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. "F-16s in Ukraine. We did it," he announced during a ceremony at an undisclosed

airbase, where he stood beside two of the newly arrived planes. While expressing gratitude to allies for providing the jets, Zelensky emphasized the need for many more to strengthen Ukraine's air force, which mainly relies on outdated Soviet-era aircraft.

The introduction of F-16s marks a significant enhancement in Ukraine's military capabilities. Zelensky acknowledged that while more jets are anticipated in the coming months, Ukraine currently lacks enough trained pilots to operate all the incoming aircraft. He did not disclose the exact number of jets that had arrived or specify whether they were all supplied by Denmark, the Netherlands, and the US, the countries he thanked.

Since August 2023, approximately 65 F-16s have been pledged by NATO countries following authorization from US President Joe Biden. The F-16, which first entered service in 1978, is being phased out by many Western militaries in favor of the newer F-35, introduced in 2015. Although the UK does not possess F-16s, it is providing long-range Storm Shadow missiles compatible with the jets.

Ukraine's new F-16s will complement existing Western-supplied surface-to-air missile systems such as Patriot and NASAMS. The jets' ability to carry a variety of munitions, including rockets, bombs, and missiles, is expected to enhance Ukraine's capacity to conduct strikes deep within occupied territories and potentially near the Russian border. They could also play a crucial role in defending against Russian glide bombs, which have been heavily used in recent attacks.

The hope is that with adequate protection on the ground, the F-16s could help push back Russian aircraft, preventing them from targeting Ukrainian ground forces. There has been discussion about stationing some F-16s at foreign military bases, a move that prompted a warning from President Vladimir Putin, who stated that any Western bases housing Ukrainian jets would be considered legitimate military targets.

Experts believe that the F-16s could provide critical air support to Ukrainian ground forces, particularly in the embattled eastern Donbas region. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has previously vowed that Western-made F-16s operating in Ukraine would be "shot down" but downplayed their impact on the conflict's progression. Photo by Luhai Wong from Singapore, Singapore, Wikimedia commons.