Delivery of Western F-16 fighters to Ukraine takes a long time due to the fact that the process is associated with the training of pilots, technical staff, and protected infrastructure on the ground for the effective use of aircraft.
A high-ranking representative of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization stated this during a briefing on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, answering a question about the speed of transfer of aircraft to Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
F-16 fighters for Ukraine
— This is a very complex transfer process at all stages, — he states.
According to him, it is not just about moving aircraft from one country to another. They must be reconfigured from the standards of one state, on the territory of which they were based, to Ukrainian realities.
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To station F-16 aircraft at Ukrainian airfields, it is necessary to prevent potential attacks from the Russian Federation, in particular, by using the weapons systems available in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the official explained.
At the same time, training of both pilots and personnel who maintain and repair aircraft continues for a long time.
The current pace of F-16 transfers to Ukraine is significantly faster than those that occur in peacetime between NATO allies, the official claims.
