A U.S. Air Force F-16 escorts a Soviet air force Su-27 in 1990. Wikimedia CommonsAny day now, the Ukrainian air force could take delivery of its first secondhand Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters. These first 18 F-16s—out of 42 the Dutch air force could make available in the coming year or so—have been “improved,” Yuriy Ignat, a Ukrainian air force spokesperson, told Ukrainian media. But for a few years at least, they should significantly boost the Ukrainian air force’s air-defense capability and capacity. “With F-16s, Ukraine can better defend itself against Russian attacks,” Dutch defense minister Kajsa Ollongren said.

Source: Forbes December 25, 2023 13:47 UTC