- Ukraine is preparing means to protect its F-16s while they are at its base, its air force said.
- This includes building bunkers and dispersing American-made aircraft as they arrive.
- Ukraine is expected to receive the first F-16s from its allies this summer.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it was preparing for the arrival of the F-16s by building underground stores and bunkers at its bases.
Major Ilya Yevlash, a spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said Ukraine’s plans to ensure the safety of the much-sought-after planes during their stay at the base were carefully developed.
He said this effort “requires good preparation of their base locations. This involves significant costs, including underground shelters and bunkers. Therefore, methods are being developed to determine how best to deploy them “, according to RBC-Ukraine.
Yevlash also said Ukraine would disperse the planes to different types of bases, making it harder for Russia to detect them.
Ukraine should receive its first F-16s this summer and its pilots trained on advanced jets in allied countries During months.
The planes will strengthen Ukraine’s air force, which is smaller and older than Russia’s, and allow Ukraine to carry out more strikes against Russia, while strengthening its defensive capabilities.
Ukraine has been requesting U.S.-made F-16s since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, but the United States only agreed to allow its allies to send them last summer.
Military aircraft are often most vulnerable when parked at their base, and so countries concentrate weapons such as air defense systems around air bases.
Ukraine managed to eliminate Russian planes while they were grounded.
The Associated Press reported that Ukraine could use Western air bases when receiving F-16s, as these planes require high-quality landing strips and protective hangars.
But the Air Force update suggests that Ukraine plans to keep at least some F-16s in Ukraine during periods when they are not flying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that Western air bases that host F-16s destined for Ukraine would be “legitimate” targets for his armed forces.
Former US military pilots told Business Insider’s Jake Epstein that Ukraine will be the most dangerous battlefield the F-16s have faced, even though they have been used in intense combat for decades.
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