MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. Foreign fighter jets Mirage 2000 and F-16 will not be able to challenge modern Russian fighters in air combat, while the US-made F-16 are also hard to maintain and repair, the head of the State Duma’s defense committee, Andrey Kartapolov, said about the possible supplies of such equipment to Kiev.
"Now it's the turn of the Mirage planes. As a platform, yes, it is capable of performing certain tasks. It has nine mounting points for weapons. But as an opponent of our modern fighters in aerial combat the Mirage has absolutely no chances. Take it from me. The F-16’s results will be approximately the same," Kartapolov said on the TV channel Rossiya-24.
He also remarked that the US F-16 fighter was quite difficult in terms of repairs and maintenance.
"A pilot can be trained, especially the one who already has flying experience. The most important thing is to train technical personnel. The F-16 is a rather complex airplane and hard to maintain and repair. It can't be serviced with tools simple as a wrench," he said.
According to the French portal Intelligence Online, Kiev and Paris are close to concluding an agreement on the transfer of Mirage 2000 fighters from the French Air Force to Ukraine. In particular, the issue on the agenda is the acquisition of an as yet undetermined number of used fighter jets Mirage 2000D, designed for air strikes against ground targets.
In addition, in late August, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder announced that a course of training for Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighters would begin at a base in the state of Arizona in October. At the same time, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities Mara Karlin essentially made it clear in early August that the F-16s would be handed over to Kiev only when the Ukrainian army was ready to use them.