Receiving the F-16 is an enormous victory for Ukraine. Two years ago, even the idea of providing the Ukrainian military with these jets was considered unrealistic. UN and NATO members were reluctant to agree to give the F-16 aircraft to Ukraine due to how costly and time-consuming the whole ordeal would be. Meanwhile, Russia called it a “red line” and a point of no return. Nevertheless, Ukraine prevailed, and the first F-16 are now in Ukraine.
F-16 became a symbol of hope in a sense, which led to people expecting them to be a marker of the significant changes on the battlefield. However, the experts indicate that F-16 jets at this point are a “slow weapon”, as opposed to bringing forth drastic changes right away. This estimation is caused by a multitude of factors, such as the logistics, the question of supplying modern ammunition, and the time needed to complete the pilot training program.