F‑16s arrive in Ukraine as American ace offers support
The first F-16 aircraft have arrived in Ukraine, and as Volodymyr Zelensky reported, they are already in use. The American fighter jets are as familiar as the back of his hand to retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Dan Hampton. The pilot has once again confirmed his desire to fly for Ukraine and help it win the war.
Dan Hampton, a retired lieutenant colonel known as the "best F-16 pilot in the US Air Force", said last year in an interview with "Voice of America" that he is ready to personally pilot aircraft for the Ukrainian army if needed. Hampton has extensive experience. He flew in the American armed forces for two decades, fighting in the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, and Iraq.
As he himself admitted, "you can't win a war from the air, but you can lose it if you don't control the airspace". Therefore, he supported sending F-16 fighters to Ukraine and proposed hiring pilots who are already familiar with the machines. Now that the machines have already arrived in the hands of the fighting Ukrainians, the American pilot has confirmed his willingness to fly for Ukraine.
You can count on me. The Ukrainian government can hire private contractors who know how to fly F-16s. This will buy you time and help win the war - said Dan Hampton, quoted on the X portal by @technicznybdg.
Dan Hampton served in the American Air Force from 1986 to 2006. As indicated by "Business Insider", he completed 151 combat missions during this time. He is also the most decorated American airman since the Vietnam War.
F-16s are already fighting in Ukraine
A few days ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the much-anticipated F-16s had arrived in Ukraine. We often heard the word "impossible", but we made possible what was our ambition, our defence need. And now it's already a reality in our skies. The F-16s are in Ukraine. We have achieved this — said the Ukrainian leader, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
At the same time, Zelensky emphasised that the number of fighters and pilots trained to operate them is still insufficient. The exact number of machines that have arrived in Ukraine and the tasks they have performed and will perform in the future remain confidential.
