It will take Ukrainian forces at least 18 months to learn how to fly and maintain F-16 fighter jets, a senior Pentagon official told Congress Tuesday.

The pending issue of possibly sending F-16s to Ukraine has been occupied by the Biden administration for months, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly asked Washington to send him fighter jets. In the same vein, members of the US Congress would also like their country to send fighter jets to support Ukrainian troops in the fight against the Russian invasion.

At best, Washington could send old/used F-16s to Ukraine within the next 18 months, with the purchase and delivery of new aircraft taking up to six years, according to a senior US Department of Defense official. As for the number of fighters that will be required to effectively modernize the Ukrainian fleet, according to the Washington Post, they are estimated at 80 units.

However, Joe Biden himself said last week that Ukraineno need now F-16“.

According to the Washington Post