The Ukrainian air force said it was preparing for the arrival of the F-16s by building underground hangars and bunkers at its bases.
Major Ilia Evlash, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said that Ukraine’s plans for how to keep the long-awaited planes safe while they are at the bases are being carefully developed.
He said the effort “requires proper preparation of their base locations. It involves substantial costs, including underground shelters and bunkers. Therefore, methods are being worked out on the best way to conduct them,” according to RBC-Ukraine.
Evlaş also said that Ukraine will distribute the planes in different types of bases, making it harder for Russia to detect them.
Ukraine is due to receive its first F-16s this summer, and its pilots have been training on Western jets in allied countries for months.
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The planes will augment Ukraine’s air force, which is smaller and older than Russia’s, and allow Ukraine to conduct more strikes against Russia, while also increasing its defensive capabilities.
Ukraine has requested US-made F-16s since the start of a full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022, but the US did not approve allowing its allies to send them until last summer.
Military aircraft are often most vulnerable when they are on the ground at bases, and as a result countries concentrate weapons such as air defense systems around air bases.
Ukraine managed to shoot down Russian planes while they were on the ground.
The Associated Press noted that Ukraine could use Western air bases when it receives F-16s because the planes need high-standard runways and protective hangars.
But other sources suggest that Ukraine plans to keep at least some F-16s in Ukraine during periods when they are not flying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that Western air bases hosting F-16 jets for Ukraine would be “legitimate” targets for his armed forces.
Former US military pilots told Business Insider that Ukraine will be the most dangerous battlefield the F-16s have faced, even though the planes have been used in heavy combat for decades.
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Tags: Ukraine building underground hangars bunkers protect F16s
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