Ukraine needs F-16s to protect sky, not A-10 Thunderbolt, - Reznikov
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov believes that Ukraine needs aircraft capable of being an element of air defense, such as the F-16, rather than attack aircraft designed to destroy ground targets along the front line, such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
He stated this in an interview with LIGA.net, Censor.NET reports.
The minister explained that he bases his opinion "on consultations with the commander of the Air Force, Mr. Oleschuk, and messages spoken to all members of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief."
According to him, Ukraine needs to strengthen air defense.
"And an airplane is a platform that is primarily an element of air defense. Therefore, we need aircraft that, as an element of air defense, are capable of seeing an enemy aircraft in the air and damaging it, shooting down a cruise/ballistic missile and, if necessary, striking ground targets (warehouses , command posts, accumulation of equipment)," he added.
According to Reznikov, the A-10 Thunderbolt is "a heavy flying fortress that can pile on tank columns." But the tank convoys "have not been running for a long time".
"This plane can't see far and is very slow. There are a lot of them in the USA, but they don't fight. They are old, they have no spare parts, and it is impossible to maintain them. I discussed these planes back in March of last year and got the answer: "This one cannot a slow fortress to resist the fast planes of the Russians," concluded the head of the Ministry of Defense.
Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said that Ukraine needs attack aircraft, not F-16 fighters.
"Attack aircraft in the US are primarily A10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. They are also attack helicopters of the AN64 type, etc. These aerial platforms are designed to strike the ground," he said.
