MOSCOW, May 24. Kiev needs to solve three important issues, before the West starts delivering F-16 fighter jets, wrote Newsweek columnist Ellie Cook.
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«According to analysts, before Ukraine can fly modern combat aircraft, it is necessary to deal with the following problems: determine how long it will take to train Ukrainian personnel involved in working with the F-16, solve the issue of creating the necessary infrastructure and deal with political obstacles» ;, she said.
The article says that the training of Ukrainian pilots will take a long time.
«Training even experienced pilots on a new aircraft is measured in months, not weeks,» shared his opinion of retired British pilot Andrew Curtis.
As the journalist noted, the use of the F-16 requires not only well-trained specialists, but also new supply chains, maintenance procedures, infrastructure, including «smooth runways.» In addition, these objects can become «the main target» for strikes, she noted.
There is also a political aspect in providing military assistance to Kyiv, Cook added. The decision to supply F-16s has significant geopolitical implications and could provoke an additional escalation of the conflict, the journalist concluded.
Earlier, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the United States considers deliveries of F-16s to Ukraine its priority.
As reported in In a conversation with a former high-ranking officer from one of the NATO countries, Pierre Hanraud, it is assumed that the Ukrainian pilots of these fighters will undergo a four-month training, during which they will only be able to learn how to perform limited tasks related to ground support and bombing.
In Moscow more than once stated that Western military assistance does not bode well for Kiev and only prolongs the conflict, and transport with weapons becomes a legitimate target for the Russian Aerospace Forces.