F-16 fighters already fly in Ukraine

Ukraine will not officially confirm the transfer of US-made fourth-generation F-16 multifunctional light fighters, adviser to the presidential office Mykhailo Podolyak said. First F-16 aircraft were delivered to Ukraine on July 31. Yet, it has not been specified how many fighters Ukraine has received.

Western countries have not given any official comment on the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine. Kyiv is not going to release any official statements either, Podolyak noted.

"It is clear that we will not comment on this in any way, since this is a survival factor for us. We do not have to say whether we have this aviation component or not," he said.

According to Bloomberg, the first batch of F-16s has arrived in Ukraine. The agency did not specify how many aircraft the Armed Forces of Ukraine received.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky said that the aircraft would strengthen Ukraine's air defense and allow it to more effectively counter Russian-launched cruise missiles. The F-16s will have to fly at a distance of 40 kilometers from the line of combat contact not to let the Russian Armed Forces shoot them down.

• The F-16 Fighting Falcon, a fourth-generation light multirole fighter, made its maiden flight in February 1974. Currently, the aircraft is operated by more than 20 countries. Lockheed Martin Corporation (formerly General Dynamics) has produced more than 4,500 F-16 Fighting Falcons in total. The cost of one of the most common versions of the fighter (Block 52) exceeds $40 million (excluding operating and weapons costs).
• The maximum speed of the F-16 Fighting Falcon is 2,100 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 12 kilometers. Cruising speed is 1,100 kilometers per hour. The crew is one person (in some modifications, two). The combat radius of the aircraft is up to 1,800 kilometers. The maximum flight range is 4,000 kilometers.
• The fighter is armed with a six-barrel 20-mm M61A1 gun with 511 rounds of ammunition and the ability to fire depleted uranium charges, air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, and bombs (guided, cluster, and free-fall). The F-16 Fighting Falcon can carry up to 9,000 kilograms of cargo.