The F-16 fighters had already been in Ukraine during joint training exercises involving the National Guard of the United States and the Polish Air Force, as part of Safe Skies 2011, held in Myrhorod. During this period, the F-16C/D aircraft were utilized from a Ukrainian airbase for a span of two weeks, engaging in regular flight operations alongside Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft.
At that time, there were no major concerns from the American perspective regarding the utilization of F-16 jets from runways featuring Soviet-era tiling. Despite this, measures were taken by the airfield services to enhance the quality of the joints between the tiling to meet the required standards for accommodating Western aircraft.
Read more: The Netherlands Is Giving All its F-16s to Ukraine - This Is Just the Beginning
Furthermore, the maintenance of the aircraft was conducted by the technical staff with relatively constrained resources, which had been transported using a C-17 aircraft.
Moreover, American pilots even practiced landings utilizing an arresting gear, which is employed in F-16 aircraft to reduce the runway distance required.
They engaged in collaborative flights with Ukrainian aviators in a unified formation, honing the synergy between various aircraft models. Moreover, they also simulated certain tactical maneuvers for potential F-16 versus Su-27 combat scenarios.
Additionally, Ukrainian pilots participated in flights using dual-seat F-16 aircraft, while American pilots had the opportunity to fly the Su-27UB fighters. Nevertheless, it should be noted that these flights were primarily aimed at providing a firsthand experience to demonstrate the capabilities of the respective aircraft.
Read more: Ukrainians Began Training on F-16 fighters - MOD
