Images of Ukraine’s new F-16s and their weapons hint at what the US-made fighter jets may start off doing against the Russians

“I think the strength that they’re gaining is just the versatility of the airplane,” he said of Ukraine and its newly acquired multi-role fighter. “And as I think we’ve seen, the Ukrainians are very versatile at applying all kinds of emerging technologies into existing systems or just creating whole new ones.”

Aiello said that while the F-16 brings an increased capability to Ukraine’s existing fleet, there is likely to be a learning curve because the country is so used to its Soviet fighters.

So far, Ukraine’s F-16s appear to have only flown in ceremonial roles, as they did during a flyover on Sunday in a video shared by the country’s air force. It is unclear when the jets will be used in combat.

At tens of millions of dollars apiece, F-16s are quite costly, and Ukraine does not have many to expend. Kyiv is likely to be more risk averse with its fighters, especially as it waits for more of them to arrive, but there’s always the possibility of a bold play.

For now, though, the long-awaited arrival of the fighters in Ukraine is likely to provide the country with a critical morale boost as its forces continue to defend against the grueling Russian invasion.

“We have made possible what was our ambition, our defense need,” Zelenskyy said on Sunday. “Now the F-16s are a reality, a reality in our skies.”