The Ukrainian army has been waiting for a long time for the transfer of US fighter jets. And now, according to the US media, the first batch of F-16s has already arrived in Ukraine. Find out how Kiev plans to use these aircraft in the near future

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More than a year after the United States gave the green light to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, Kyiv has received the first batch of aircraft. This was reported by Bloomberg on 31 July. 

F-16s are already in Ukraine: deliveries are going according to plan

According to the publication, according to sources, the allies initially planned to deliver the first batch of F-16s to Ukraine at the end of July, and the deadline was met.

At the same time, the number of F-16s delivered is "small". And it is unclear whether Ukrainian pilots who have been training on F-16s in recent months will be able to use the transferred fighters immediately or whether this process will take longer.

Bloomberg writes that Ukrainian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Diana Davityan declined to comment on this information.

Ukraine has been waiting for F-16s for a long time

Almost a year ago, Denmark and the Netherlands promised to provide Ukraine with about 60 F-16 fighter jets. This was in response to numerous requests from Ukrainian officials for such aircraft.

The F-16s will help to reduce russia's air superiority, as russian aviation is far superior to Ukraine's in terms of modernity.

Immediately after the announcement of the delivery, Ukrainian pilots began training to fly the F-16s. The training takes place in the US and Denmark and continues to this day.

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How does Ukraine plan to use the US fighter jets?

In the first time after the delivery of the F-16s, as the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated, the fighters will be used to protect Ukrainian skies in tandem with ground-based air defence systems.

However, the Ukrainian army will almost certainly test the fighters on the battlefield soon. At least this conclusion can be drawn from a recent statement by US officials that the US is ready to equip the fighters with US-made missiles and other modern weapons.

The United States noted that, despite the Pentagon's limited stockpiles and production capabilities, it will provide F-16s with air-to-ground munitions, precision-guided bombs and modern air-to-air missiles in sufficient quantities to meet Ukraine's most urgent needs.

What weapons will Ukrainian F-16s be equipped with

- AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles;

- versions of the Joint Direct Attack Munition long-range munitions, which turn unguided bombs into smart weapons;

- short-range bombs that explode in a narrow radius of destruction;

- modern medium-range air-to-air missiles AMRAAM;

- AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles for aircraft.

It is also worth recalling that Ukraine will receive reconnaissance aircraft equipped with ASC-890 early warning radars. They will be provided by Sweden as part of a record military aid package. 

These "birds" should complement and enhance the work of F-16 fighters. Simply put, the ASC-890s are to become the eyes of American fighters.

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