Ukrainian pilot's heartfelt message amidst US equipment halt
One of the Ukrainian pilots, who typically pilots an F-16 fighter jet, posted an unusual video on social media. In it, he addressed the USA and expressed gratitude for the military assistance the United States has provided to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian expressed gratitude on his Instagram profile, stating that the support received is crucial in the fight for democracy. He also shared a video in which he thanked supporters and emphasized the collective effort toward victory.
The Ukrainian pilot addressed the USA directly from the F-16 cockpit
The material shared by the Ukrainian pilot appeared in response to a recent decision by Donald Trump, which resulted in Ukraine being cut off from further supplies of American equipment. The pilot published photos from the cockpit of the F-16 fighter jet, as well as a short video flying over Ukraine, demonstrating that American combat aircraft are helping to protect the country from Russian attacks.
It is important to emphasise that the F-16 fighters are delivered to Ukraine by the aviation coalition, which includes European countries. However, as with other equipment produced abroad, the United States had to approve these deliveries.
The leaders of this coalition are the Netherlands and Denmark, which have already delivered 12 of the 19 promised F-16 fighters to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Belgians encountered issues with transferring F-16s to the front line. They declared their willingness to provide Ukraine with 30 F-16s but announced in February that this would not occur until the end of the year at the earliest.
Western combat aircraft in Ukraine
The F-16 is one of two NATO combat aircraft available to Ukraine. Kyiv also received the first few Mirage 2000-5F fighters at the beginning of this year.
The F-16 fighters, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can reach speeds of approximately 2,200 km/h and operate at altitudes up to about 15,000 metres. The versions delivered to Ukraine are modified F-16A/B MLU (Mid-Life Update) variants, equipped with enhanced radars and adapted to work with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles with a range of about 100 km.
F-16s offer significantly greater capabilities than Soviet-era aircraft, which Ukraine relied on before the war (and still largely does). However, the conflict has shown that they are not without limitations. As Ukrainian experts have repeatedly noted, the main drawback of these aircraft is the absence of a Link-16 communication system. According to The Wall Street Journal, one of the F-16s was shot down by Patriot system missiles.
