But it will be necessary to further increase its combat aviation power to establish control over Ukrainian airspace, he noted.

The defense forces will be significantly strengthened by the first Western F-16 fighters. This statement was made on the Freedom TV channel by the speaker of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yuri Ignat.

However, according to him, in order to establish control over the airspace of Ukraine, it will be necessary to further increase its combat aviation power. It is necessary to talk about a set of means that will make it possible to prevail.

“F-16s will certainly help Ukraine in terms of intercepting cruise missiles and drones. Of course, they will be able to in some way drive Russian aviation away and help our ground forces advance in one direction or another. Also, control of airspace over the sea, ensuring freedom of navigation. This is an important issue. This is our “grain corridor”, etc.,” Ignat emphasized.

At the same time, he noted that Russia has powerful air defense systems in Crimea and other temporarily occupied territories. In addition, the enemy has powerful aviation. Therefore, it is impossible to say that Ukraine, after receiving the first F-16s, will be able to quickly take control of its airspace.

Ignat also noted that the issue of strengthening sky defense is complex.

“We will be seriously strengthened with the first F-16 aircraft and will increase our combat aviation power – both air defense and electronic warfare – in order to achieve complete control over our own airspace. And then ground operations can be carried out more confidently and more effectively,” – summed up the Air Force speaker.

F-16 for Ukraine: it’s worth knowing

The other day, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Ukraine is capable of regaining control of the sky in 2024, but there is a nuance. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, this could happen if Kiev receives F-16 fighters, drones, electronic warfare equipment and missiles in a timely manner.

Speaker of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yuriy Ignat noted that Western partners are already ready to provide Ukraine with F-16 aircraft. However, the question is whether everything is ready for these fighters to operate on our territory. He emphasized that the F-16 requires not only trained pilots, but also prepared infrastructure and engineers.