Ukraine has received the first US-made F-16 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, the BBC writes.
“F-16 in Ukraine. We succeeded", President Zelensky said in a ceremony in a secret location, surrounded by airplanes.
He thanked Denmark, the Netherlands and the US in particular for helping deliver the planes after an 18-month wait - although he added that many more were needed.
The F-16s will significantly increase Ukraine's air combat capability, which largely relies on Soviet-era aircraft.
Zelensky did not specify how many warplanes had arrived in Ukraine - or whether they were all sent by the three NATO countries he mentioned.
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Ukraine receives first F-16 aircraft
US President Joe Biden in August 2023 authorized for the first time European allies who expressed their readiness to send F-16 aircraft to Ukraine. Since then, about 65 F-16 aircraft have been committed by NATO countries to Ukraine.
The F-16 was first introduced in 1978. Many Western militaries are in the process of retiring this fighter, replacing them with the US-made F-35, introduced in 2015.
