The head of aviation of the Air Force Command of Ukraine, Brigadier General Serhiy Golubtsov, says that Kyiv will need several squadrons of American F-16 aircraft to stop Russian airstrikes on the country’s territory, RFE/RL reports.

In an interview with RFE/RL journalists, the Ukrainian general emphasized that Kyiv’s leadership’s appeal to its Western partners to supply it with F-16 aircraft does not stem from some “dogma,” and a group of experts assessed which military aircraft would be the most suitable for its needs.

“The F-16 is not the most advanced aircraft, but it is capable of using almost all types of NATO equipment and is a multifunctional (multipurpose) aircraft. It can perform air defense tasks, fight air targets, hit land and sea targets,” explains Golubtsov, adding that this type of aircraft has also demonstrated “excellent qualities” in destroying enemy air defenses.

“This meets the strategic requirements that we would like to achieve today in order to have air superiority, stop the enemy and accelerate victory,” the Ukrainian military said.

Ukraine would be satisfied with only a few F-16 squadrons.

When asked how many F-16s Ukraine would need to achieve air superiority over the country, he answered:

“It is obvious that we will not be able to launch all the planes at once. Everyone wants to hear the number. We must separate the peacetime and post-victory need for multirole aircraft from the current need for current missions.

And seriously, in order to plan an operation to destroy or carry out attacks, you need a certain formation of support. To plan an operation from A to Z, I think we should be talking about a squadron, at least 12-16 planes.”

Golubtsov also stated that given the concentration of Russian aviation that Ukraine is facing, “if we have at least 3-4 squadrons, I think we will be able to gain air superiority in a separate direction and force the enemy to surrender altogether.” these attacks on a certain area, on a certain line of defense.”

Russian aviation was unable to gain air superiority over Ukraine

The Ukrainian general also emphasized that currently the Russians do not have tactical or operational advantages in the air “due to the fact that Ukraine has received significant support from partner countries: radar detection and surveillance stations, anti-aircraft missile complexes.”

“Everyone can see how these systems work and what percentage of matches they have,” he said.

At the same time, Golubtsov added that the Russian air force has Su-35 and MiG-31BM aircraft that can use long-range missiles, for example, R-77 missiles, which can be launched from a distance of more than 100 meters. kilometers, as well as R-37 missiles, which can be used at a distance of more than 200 kilometers.

“At the moment, we do not have such opportunities,” he emphasized.

His comments came just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said “the first Ukrainian F-16 will be one of the strongest signals to the world that Russia is losing ground to its own aggression, becoming weaker and more isolated.”

“Our fighters have already proven that they can use modern weapons with the efficiency that was not expected from us. I’m sure they’ll have the same success with the plane,” he added.

Green light to send F-16 to Ukraine

Earlier in May, US President Joe Biden approved plans to train Ukrainian pilots on US F-16 fighter jets, and Moscow condemned the move as carrying “colossal risks”.

Biden also gave the go-ahead for sending F-16s to Ukraine for allies willing to do so, given that several European nations that have sent significant military aid to Kyiv have such warplanes.

Earlier last week, the Netherlands said it wanted to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 as soon as possible.

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