A Ukrainian Air Force Base. (Oleg V. Belyakov/wikicommons)
Warzone/The Drive: Ukraine Situation Report: Kyiv Improving Airfields Anticipating Western Fighters
Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman says work is underway to upgrade airfields for Western fighter jets even though none have been promised yet.
Unlike the recent influx of promises for western tanks, Ukraine has yet to receive any solid offers of modern fighter jets from allies like the U.S., France, the Netherlands, Denmark and others. But it’s preparing airfields across the country in anticipation of deliveries of multi-role jets like U.S.-made F-16 Fighting Falcons or French Mirage or Rafale fighters.
To integrate jets like those into the Ukrainian Air Force would not only require training for pilots and maintainers, but it would also require making sure more modern jets have safe places to operate from.
“We have to prepare the airfield infrastructure so that pilots could land safely on the airstrips,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Col. Yuri Ignat told reporters Friday at a press briefing in Ukraine. “The works are in progress in different regions of Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Defense and other government agencies to support us in the creation of this airfield network.”
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The problem that Ukraine will have if they get deliveries of these fighter jets is that their airfields will only become priority targets for Russian missiles.