21 Aug: Finally! Ukrainians RECEIVE HUGE F-16 Fleet. Russians Lost Air Superiority | Ukraine War

Day 544: 21 Aug Russians Are Nervous! Ukrainians SET UP HUGE F-16 Fleet to KICK THE RUSSIANS OUT! Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to clash in the air, on land and at sea to end the war. Looking at the frontline today, we see that tank and trench clashes continue in Zaporizhia, Ukrainians have liberated Urozhaine and seized the initiative in Rabotyne. In Crimea, explosions and drone strikes continue every day. The last time we witnessed an S-200 missile attack on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea. But are all these efforts of Ukraine enough to end the war? Of course not. Ukraine needs a strong air force fleet as well as troops on the ground and the Dnipro River Boat group to end the war. Strong air forces, modern fighter jets and western air training are essential for the encirclement of Crimea and the retaking of the occupied territories in Ukraine from the Russians. At the beginning of January, Ukraine had fewer than 190 operational aircraft, while Russia had more than 2,000. Kiev had therefore called on its western allies for more fighter jets. The US and its allies had previously refused to provide Ukraine with F-16s, fearing they would lead to further escalation with a nuclear-armed Russia. But the other day, a US State Department spokesperson announced that both Denmark and the Netherlands had been given formal assurances for the transfer of multi-role F-16 fighter jets. On May 19, after numerous refusals, Joe Biden approved the delivery of fighter jets, including F-16s, to Ukraine. Following this important approval, historic steps were taken to provide Ukraine with F-16s and to train them. Let’s start with the critical good news given to Ukrainians about the training of F-16 jets. Ukrainian Armed Forces Air Force pilots will begin training to operate modern F-16 fighter jets at the end of August 2023. This stunning news was confirmed by the Danish Ministry of Defense. The F-16 training process will be supervised by an international coalition of 11 countries. The training will most likely start in Denmark and will continue in Romania in the long term. Only a few pilots with strong English skills will be sent for the first rounds of training, as Ukraine cannot afford to remove too many pilots from the battlefield. The training aircraft will not be provided directly by the US, but by partner countries in Europe. The re-export of American F-16s is still subject to official approval, as all countries using them must first obtain approval from Washington. According to the manufacturer Lockheed Martin, there are currently 3,000 F-16s in use in 25 countries. But as we mentioned, in addition to F-16 training, critical steps have also been taken to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force. So now Ukraine will also have F-16 jets produced by Lockheed Martin. Here are all the important details of this stunning news. Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the Netherlands and Denmark after months of pleas from the West to support the Ukrainian air force. Speaking at a joint press conference with Zelensky at Eindhoven airport, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte raised the F-16 issue. The talks came after a US official said the other day that the US had committed to approve the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as soon as the training was completed. After Mark Rutte raised the issue, the Ukrainian leader made a historic announcement while visiting both countries. Zelenskyy announced that the Netherlands and Denmark will donate up to 61 F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that her country would provide 19 jets. Six of Denmark’s F-16 fighter jets will be delivered to Ukraine in the new year, eight next year and the remaining five in 2025. Denmark is also planning an upgrade of about 30 F-16s in its fleet. This means that the Copenhagen government may commit to sending the remaining 11 F-16 jets to Ukraine in the coming days. On the other hand, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte did not put a figure on the F-16 fighter jet donation, but reported that the Netherlands has 42 jets of this type in its air force. The country was already in the process of replacing them with more advanced US-made F-35s. The Dutch are thought to have about 24 operational F-16s that are scheduled to be decommissioned and replaced with more advanced fighter jets. So 24 F-16 jets could possibly go to Ukraine in the first batch. This number could increase further after the talks between Ukraine and the Netherlands. But Zelenskyy seriously insists on 42 F-16 jets. Unlike Rutte, Zelenskyy seemed more adamant about the number he expects to receive from the Netherlands. Clearly pleased, Zelenskyy posted a photo of himself and Rutte in front of an F-16 and was later filmed entering the cockpit. #russia #Ukraine #UkraineWar #russiaukrainewar #news #russiaukrainenews #War society, politics, knowledge, military, international relations