- President Zelenskiy announces use of U.S.-made fighter planes
- Ukraine has long waited for the higher-capability jets
- Kyiv hopes they will change war, Russia vows to shoot them down
Aug 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian pilots have started flying F-16s for operations within the nation, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, confirming the long-awaited arrival of the U.S.-made fighter jets more than 29 months since Russia’s invasion.
Its probably because,
1, war assets are expensive to aquire and maintain. Training costs are also significant- you can’t just put a cargo pilot into a fighter and expect them to preform. Goes again fir all support staff and logistics.
2, armed forces spending is 1-2% of GDP, which isn’t alot by comparison but a significant amount when countries are low on funds and the population are struggling to afford to live. Everything lost has to be replaced.
3, they are not the only conflict on the horizon.