Kyiv is gearing up to unleash “game-changing weapons” on Vladimir Putin’s troops in a major show of force against the Russian President, Ukraine’s Air Force (UAF) has said.
The UAF said the American-made F-16 fighter jets, which the US promised months ago, are “ready” to be deployed in Ukraine.
The comments were made by UAF spokesperson Yuriy Ignat in an interview published by RBC Ukraine.
He said: “The plans are grandiose. The aircraft is multifunctional, so it will be able to perform many tasks in support of ground forces”.
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He said the weapons would help Kyiv “gain air superiority and resist the use of guided aviation bombs” thanks to their wide range of armaments.
F-16s come stocked with modern avionics and radars and are built to launch the NATO-quality weapons Ukraine has been using with its Soviet-era fighter planes.
But the jets are not set to arrive until support staff are completely prepared, Ignat has said.
Ukrainian pilots have already been training on the warplanes in the UK, the US and Denmark ahead of their eagerly anticipated first delivery, reports claim.
The weapons would mark a major upgrade to the Soviet-era MiG and Sukhoi currently being used by the UAF in its fight against Russian forces.
Speculation has also mounted on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels that Ukraine may have already used the the American jets to take out Russian targets.
But there has been no evidence to suggest that Ukraine has received the jets.
It came as Russia reportedly lost eight jets in the space of three weeks, including multiple Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft and a Russian Su30.
Back in January, Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun told Express.co.uk the fighter jets are an essential part of plans to liberate Ukraine.
She said: “Planes, fighter jets. That is the biggest one. I don’t pretend to be a military strategist but I’ve been watching military movies for a year now and even in movies when the American army goes on offensive, the first thing they do is they ask for support.
“We need to have superiority in order to liberate the rest of our territory. Nobody goes on the offensive when the enemy controls the air so that is what that is, what we need.”
Military analysts have previously said it could take months or even years for Ukraine’s troops to learn how to operate the advanced American F-16s.
Back in May military’s top general warned that F-16s won’t act as a “magic weapon” for Ukraine.
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley told reporters at the Pentagon: “The Russians have 1,000 fourth-generation fighters.
“If you’re going to contest Russia in the air, you’re going to need a substantial amount of fourth and fifth-generation fighters.
“So if you look at the cost curve and do the analysis, the smartest thing to have done is exactly what we did do, which is provide a significant amount of integrated air defences to cover the battlespace and deny the Russians the airspace.”
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