Ukrainian Air Force Commander Serhii Golubtsov said Ukraine desperately needs F-16 fighter jets, which he said Thursday are “four to five times” more efficient than the Soviet-era jets Ukraine currently uses, Reuters reports.

F-16 jetsPhoto: – / Editorial Shutterstock / Profimedia

Serhii Golubtsov noted that although the Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets were an “important step”, the planes do not fully meet Ukraine’s requirements.

NATO members Poland and Slovakia recently began transferring MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine as Kyiv prepares for a counteroffensive to liberate Russian-occupied territories.

But Golubtsov said that while Soviet-era warplanes are better than nothing, they will not be able to fully counter Russia’s massive air force.

“The F-16 is a fighter that has become a multi-role aircraft that can perform the entire range of air missions. The MiG-29, unfortunately, is (an aircraft) from the last century,” he said on national television. .

During a visit to Warsaw on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said he believed Poland would play a leading role in forming a “coalition” of Western powers to supply military aircraft to Ukraine. Earlier this year, Warsaw helped increase support for tank deliveries.

During Zelenskyi’s visit, Poland promised Ukraine 10 more MiG-29s, in addition to the four already delivered.

Any possible coalition of nations developing the F-16 would likely rely on the support of the United States, the largest operator and manufacturer of the aircraft.

However, Washington has ruled out sending F-16s to Ukraine for now, and US officials have estimated that the shortest time needed to prepare Ukrainian forces and deliver them is 18 months.

Golubtsov noted that there is an opportunity for foreign pilots to fly Ukrainian planes, but they will be useful only when they fly planes on which they have already been trained.

He also announced that two Ukrainian pilots had undergone testing in the US to assess their skills, which he said was “successful” and could lead to a “significant reduction” in the training time required for Ukrainian pilots.