Ingo Gerhartz noted at the same time that Berlin does not have such aircraftBERLIN, May 24.
/tass/. The Inspector (commander) of the German Air Force, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, does not rule out that the Federal Republic will be able to support the Western allies in the process of transferring F-16 fighters to Kiev, although it does not have such aircraft.
"Countries that do not have F-16s can provide support here, rather indirectly, for example, by providing infrastructure or training [Ukrainian pilots]," Gerhartz said in an interview published on Wednesday with the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel. He also pointed out that the armament of German Eurofighter fighters can be rearranged to the F-16. The inspector of the German Air Force noted that in the end, the decision whether Germany will participate in the "coalition of fighters" for Ukraine and to what extent depends on politicians.
"Many countries have just recently decommissioned their cars and could have delivered them to Ukraine in a timely manner," the Lieutenant General added.
On May 21, US President Joe Biden announced at a press conference following the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima that the West would begin training Ukrainian pilots in the skills of controlling fourth-generation fighters, including the F-16. At the same time, the assistant to the American leader for national security, Jake Sullivan, said that Washington will discuss with like-minded people in the coming months which states will transfer F-16 aircraft to Kiev.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, following the results of the G7 summit, told reporters that Germany's participation in the possible supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine has not yet been discussed.
