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US approves sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and Netherlands (www.reuters.com)

submitted 1 year ago by lntl@lemmy.ml to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

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"I am writing to express the United States' full support for both the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors [...] It remains critical that Ukraine is able to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression and violation of its sovereignty" said Blinken.

Will this solidify a Ukrainian victory?

U.S. officials have privately said that F-16 jets would have been of little help to Ukraine in its current counteroffensive and will not be a game changer when they eventually arrive given Russian air defense systems and contested skies over Ukraine

Or will Russian radar and missle systems tear them up?

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[-] CMDR_Horn@lemmy.ml 29 points 1 year ago

Still contains secrets that the US doesn’t want to fall in to the hands of her enemies. I’m sure part of the purchasing agreement is non-transfer clauses and the such to limit the risk. That said Ukraine should’ve had access to these last year

[-] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 7 points 1 year ago

The first F-16 flew in 1974, half a century ago. Considering how widely they've been used, no one is going to learn anything significant if a few more are shot down or captured.

[-] ikilledtheradiostar@hexbear.net 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Which is going to happen 30s after getting into country. The weapons trickle is a cruel joke at this point. The last Ukrainian to die is going to be in an Abrahams.