Col. Eero Rebo said on the "Ukraina stuudio" talk show Monday that the F-16 fighter jets are a significant support for Ukraine, providing real combat power and demonstrating that the West cares about what is happening in Ukraine.

Rebo explained that Ukraine would primarily use the first F-16 jets for air defense but plans to employ them for air-to-ground attacks in the future.

"The F-16 fighter jet, with its various tools, is an excellent platform. Additionally, the Americans have mentioned the additional equipment they will help install on the planes gifted by Europeans," the colonel added.

Rebo pointed out that, according to media reports, the F-16s given to Ukraine are equipped with medium-range missiles with a range of 120 kilometers. However, more modern missiles have a range of 160 to 180 kilometers and would allow Ukraine to defend a large part of its territory.

According to Rebo, both Ukraine and Russia have been preparing for the arrival of F-16s and their accompanying weapons.

"F-16 jets will inevitably wear out and be lost, and Ukrainians themselves have estimated that they would like to receive significantly more. However, with these better weapons and accompanying radar systems, Ukrainians will surely be capable of achieving success. We also see that both Ukrainians and Russians are already preparing intensively for the arrival of these new weapon systems. The destruction of air defenses in occupied territories and in Russia has picked up considerable momentum. This includes attacks on Russian aircraft as well as S-300 and S-400 systems, various command centers and radars, which have been subjected to very intense attacks lately," the colonel explained.

Rebo added that while Russia has promised to shoot down all F-16 jets, Ukraine's task is to get the entire system operational.

"When we talk about the F-16, it is not the West's top fighter; we are talking about a relatively light fighter jet. But the point now is how systematically the Ukrainians can get this orchestra running, and there are probably many issues that Ukrainian colleagues, as very professional soldiers, will need to set about solving," Rebo said.

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