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The US commander told when Ukraine will get air superiority due to the F-16

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The future arrival of F-16 fighters in Ukraine will not be a panacea. This will be the first stage of a longer process of transition of the country's armed forces to Western tactics and equipment. This was stated by General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Force in Europe, Aviation Week reports.

He stated that Ukrainian pilots would not gain air superiority for several weeks.

“It's going to be a process that we go through, but at least we're starting. I think that the most important thing here is that this is the beginning of the introduction of Western equipment, Western tactics, Western doctrine and Western thinking into Ukraine," — Hecker said.

Ukraine will follow other former Eastern Bloc countries that have joined NATO and accepted Western aircraft. It takes time to be able to effectively operate aircraft with sufficient personnel and the necessary logistical support.

"It's not going to happen right away, but we have to start, and we're pretty close to that." said the general.

Ukraine was largely successful during the war in keeping its aircraft safe by being flexible—for example, by never taking off and landing from the same base. The Ukrainian Air Force has done this with its current fleet of MiG-29s and Su-24s, and now they will need to do it again with the F-16. This will be a difficult task, as not all airfields across the country will be able to handle the new aircraft, Hekker said.

Operationally, Russia has adapted its tactics, targeting and striking more quickly, Hekker says. Moscow is increasingly using ballistic missiles provided by North Korea, so Ukraine's partners need to ensure proper protection against them — along with the proliferation of kamikaze drones.

Hekker said he was more concerned about Ukraine's future "a couple of months ago" because the country's ammunition stockpile was depleted and international political pressure had slowed the replenishment. Since then, the situation has eased considerably as the West has provided more systems needed for both defense and offense, he said.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at the NATO summit in Washington in July that Lockheed Martin F-16s will fly in Ukrainian skies this summer. This is the culmination of a long process that includes training in the US and several locations across Europe, as well as current and future deliveries of aircraft from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

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