Canada Offers to Build Infrastructure for Western Jets in Ukraine

Canada has agreed to develop infrastructure to house Western fighter jets in Ukraine.

Before receiving the aircraft, Ukraine must not only prepare pilots and technicians for servicing the planes, but also the corresponding infrastructure.

During a press conference, Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov said “there will be F-16s…but first the training will begin.”

Training will begin in August.

The minister said Ukraine is currently evaluating the capabilities of the already constructed airfields, where planes will potentially be used. Kyiv will also build a new infrastructure for them, including shelters, security systems, gas stations, etc.

“I talked about this with Canadian defense minister Anita Anand, because they do not have F-16 aircraft, but they support the idea of ​​infrastructure development will thus join in to this coalition,” Reznikov added.

He said Romania has joined the ten countries that have committed to train Ukrainian pilots and crews on how to operate F-16s.

Ukraine needs to access its current airfields, and come up with a good number on how many it needs for the incoming Western jets. This is crucial as the aircraft should be able to operate in any part of the country and would allow them to operate in areas of interest such as the Black Sea. The jets would also have to constantly change their location to avoid missile strikes.

According to Militarnyi, the quality of airfields is “really a weak point of Ukrainian aviation.” The coating of concrete slabs is not suitable for Western fighter jets, as their landing gear struts are sensitive to irregularities and can collapse.

In addition, unlike Soviet aircraft, western planes are not adapted to long-term storage in the open sky. For this purpose, specially equipped hangars are required, preferably also with debris protection in the current conditions of the threat of missile strikes.

The accompanying infrastructure is also important, including means of communication and monitoring of the airspace, as well as systems that will guarantee the safety of the airfield in accordance with modern threats.