Retired Russian Officer: Any airport facility built by Ukraine for the F-16 will be destroyed. Tov | Facility | Nat | Russia | Runway | Destruction | Fighter | Ukraine
Recently, retired Russian military colonel Viktor Litovkin stated that if Ukraine builds airports and supporting facilities for F-16 fighter jets provided by Western countries, the Russian military will launch targeted attacks to destroy these facilities.
According to TASS on August 21st, Litovkin stated that in order to use F-16 fighter jets, Ukraine needs to build complex infrastructure, including corresponding airports, radar stations, pre flight preparation and post flight maintenance equipment, as well as aviation fuel purification devices and missile storage facilities.
Litovkin said, "Ukraine doesn't have these facilities. If they start building all of this, Russia won't turn a blind eye to it. The Russian armed forces will only wait until the construction work reaches a certain level before striking."
According to the Ukrainian National News Agency, on August 21, Yuri Inat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, stated that Ukrainian pilots had been exposed to F-16 fighter jets during the 2012 European Championship series of events. He said, "During the 2012 European Championship, F-16 fighter jets had already landed in Ukraine... they landed on our runway and everything was fine. Our pilots even had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with them... that is to say, the Western F-16 has already arrived at our airport."
Inat also stated that most military airports in Ukraine have runways made of concrete slabs, and currently only joint issues need to be addressed. "If these runways are handled properly, there will generally be no problems," said Inat. In addition, F-16 fighter jets have the problem of low air intake and the possibility of inhaling foreign objects. Inat said, "This is very dangerous, you must be aware of it, you must keep the runway clean."
Inat added, "As the war continues, in addition to maintaining the condition of the runway and keeping it clear, other logistical tasks must also be taken care of, which will protect the enemy's aircraft during military operations and prevent them from destroying them at the airport."
On August 20th local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that he had reached a "historic agreement" with the Netherlands, which would provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine on the condition that "delivery conditions are met," but the specific quantity has not been determined. Denmark also confirmed on the same day that it will deliver 19 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.