Colonel Yuriy Ignat, the spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told about this to Armyinform.
"We understand that the enemy is numerically and technologically superior to us. He has multi-purpose aircraft that are ready to perform many tasks on the battlefield, are capable of hitting air and ground targets, and have a wide range of weapons. Unfortunately, we have outdated weapons and airplanes. It was possible to adapt something to American weapons, such as HARM missiles. But this is not enough," Ignat said.
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Multi-role aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16 are needed to respond to the current threats to Ukraine. The enemy does not hide further plans to destroy civilian and critical infrastructure. To repel this threat, long-range weapons, both missiles and those that can operate from multi-purpose aircraft, are needed.
"Therefore, it is necessary to seek the adoption of a political decision on transferring these aircraft to Ukraine. After all, they are capable of shooting down cruise missiles in flight, as well as striking ground targets, thus reaching the enemy far in the rear," said the spokesman of the Air Force.
Ignat said that the pilots who are ready to go for training to fly foreign planes have already been identified. However, to send them, it is necessary to decide on the type of aircraft that will be used by the PS.
"When it is clear where and to what type of aircraft our pilots need to be redirected, they will go to training. In addition, it is necessary to train military engineers who will maintain the equipment and the airfield infrastructure, that is, adapt it to Western models of equipment," the spokesman said of the Air Force.
Ignat also noted that according to the perspective model of the Air Force, by 2035, Ukraine plans to have at least five brigades of fighter aircraft, several units of unmanned aircraft armed with modern UAVs, particularly those that can be built in Ukraine.
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