Ukraine is expecting to use missiles with a range of more than 300 miles on its long-awaited F-16 jets, once they arrive in the country, a senior Ukrainian military commander has said.
"In further packages of military aid, Ukraine expects F-16 aircraft and missiles with a range of 300 to 500 kilometers [186 to 310 miles], which will allow the Defense Forces of Ukraine to achieve even greater success on the battlefield and liberate our territory from the enemy," said Lt. Gen. Serhii Naiev, the commander of Ukraine's joint forces.
Missiles with a range of approximately 190 to 300 miles have been used to dramatic effect within Ukraine, courtesy of Kyiv's Western backers.
Ukraine has repeatedly used British-supplied Storm Shadow and French-donated SCALP air-launched missiles to strike Russian targets in and around the Moscow-controlled Crimean peninsula. The manufacturer puts the range of the missiles, which are currently launched from Ukrainian jets, at more than 155 miles, and experts have said they could reach around 250 miles.
Ukraine has also wielded U.S. ATACMS, or the ground-launched Army Tactical Missile System, which can have a range of up to approximately 190 miles. However, the ATACMS Ukraine has received have a shorter range of around half this distance.
Longer-range missiles allow Ukraine to strike high-value Russian assets far behind the frontlines.
Kyiv had clamored for F-16 jets, which are designed to launch the NATO-standard weapons Ukraine has been using with its older, Soviet-era jets.
Ukraine will likely receive its first operational F-16s from Western allies in the next few months, furnishing Kyiv's air force more modern avionics and better radars.
With the Lockheed Martin-made jets, Ukraine will be able to operate from farther distances, taking out Russian ground-based defenses more easily and keeping Moscow's own jets at bay. Although not a silver bullet, the aircraft are expected to make Russian strikes on Ukraine more difficult to carry out, endanger Russian assets and counter any superiority Russia has in the air.
An international coalition is currently training Ukrainian pilots to operate the F-16s. In early November, a number of F-16s arrived at a Romanian facility designed to train Ukrainian pilots, with others being trained at an air base in Arizona.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said in late December that the "first cohort" of Ukrainian pilots being trained by the U.K. military had completed basic training in the country, and are "now learning to fly F-16 fighter jets in Denmark."
On December 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Dutch government was starting preparations to deliver an initial batch of 18 F-16 jets to Ukraine.
The Dutch Defense Ministry separately said that Ukraine's personnel must be properly trained before the jets are transferred, as well as having "suitable infrastructure" in place. The jets may be modified, and "some of the aircraft require an overhaul," the Dutch government said.
In early January, the Danish defense ministry, which has committed 19 F-16s to Ukraine, said the initial batch of six jets would be delivered to Ukraine during the "second quarter of 2024," rather than the start of the new year as originally anticipated.
Update 2/5/2024, 7:57 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
