President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pressing Western allies for the planes. Zelensky said in an interview with The Associated Press that he would like to see the first F-16s in Ukraine within two years.
The F-16s would give Ukraine a much-needed boost in its efforts to defend itself against Russia. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has been supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 14,000 people.
U.S. Air Force Capt. David “Spicy” Brown, a pilot instructor with over 1,000 hours of flight time who is stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany said recently at the Paris Air Show the F-16s are “easy to fly” and that he would welcome the opportunity to train Ukrainian pilots.
“The F-16 is a great platform. It’s very versatile. It can do a lot of different missions,” he said. “I think the Ukrainians would be very happy with the F-16.”
Having fisrt flown in 1974, the F-16 is currently in service in 26 countries, with many of those operated by European air forces being built in Belgium. More than 4,600 are believed to be currently in service.
Image: By SMSgt Thomas Meneguin – http://www.169fw.ang.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000504839/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16223604
