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Originally Posted by Bluegrassplayer
Ukraine will probably be deploying them very shortly after they are ready. Ukraine isn't in a position to sit on assets because they are afraid of losing them.
10 is a good estimate for how many Ukraine will have this summer/end of year.
That will be the first batch. Don't know the systems fit on these ex-Dutch and Danish aircraft (or whether the US is secretly approving upgrades for them), but they should add a fair bit of capability. For one thing, the US has been supplying the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile for years, but when this is carried by obsolescent Ukrainian MiGs the pilot needs an iPad on his knee to make the missile work and its modes are restricted. After an initial period of success in destroying Russian radars, the Russians are now able to detect a HARM launch and switch off, so the missile has to home on 'last known position', which seldom results in a decisive hit. The F-16 should improve matters.
It's notable, and a little surprising, that the Russians have never so far been able to impose complete air supremacy over Ukraine or wipe out the Ukrainian air force, even as things stand. (Western anti-air missile systems, and the fact that the Russians can't afford to replace lost jets, probably have a lot to do with that.) Ukraine of course wants 150 F-16s, which they're unlikely to get, but the number available may be of significant use. The long delivery time will be mainly due to pilot and ground-crew training (and possibly covert upgrades).