Nato countries, including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, have pledged to give Ukraine 65 or more of the US-made planes, which they had been planning to retire from their air forces.
In August 2023, the US gave permission for F-16s to be sent to Ukraine. Since then, Western nations have been training Ukrainian pilots to fly them.
Phillips O’Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at St Andrews University says: “Ukraine will be using the F-16s mostly for defence against air attacks.”
The US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies says they could eventually be given extra roles, external, such as attacking Russian air defence systems, command centres and supply depots, and engaging Russian aircraft in Ukrainian airspace.
Air defence systems
To counter Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s cities and infrastructure, Western nations have sent it several types of air defence system.
These range from the UK’s short-range anti-aircraft weapon, Starstreak, to the Patriot missile system.
