F‑16s in Ukraine: American ace Dan Hampton pledges support

Dan Hampton, a retired lieutenant colonel known as "the best F-16 pilot in the US Air Force", said last year in an interview with Voice of America that he is ready to pilot planes for the Ukrainian army if needed personally. Hampton has extensive experience. He flew in the American armed forces for two decades, fighting in the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, and Iraq.

As he admitted, "You can't win a war from the air, but you can lose a war if you don't control the airspace." Therefore, he supported sending F-16 fighters to Ukraine and proposed hiring pilots already familiar with the aircraft. Now that the aircraft has reached the fighting Ukrainians, the American pilot has confirmed his willingness to fly for Ukraine.

You can count on me. The Ukrainian government can hire private contractors who know how to fly F-16s. This will buy you time and help win the war, said Dan Hampton.

Dan Hampton served in the American Air Force from 1986 to 2006. During that time, as Business Insider indicates, he made 151 combat flights. He is also the most decorated American aviator since the Vietnam War.

A few days ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the much-awaited F-16s had arrived in Ukraine. We often heard the words that this is impossible. But we have made possible what was our ambition, our defense need. Now it is a reality, said the Ukrainian leader, who Interfax-Ukraine quoted.

At the same time, Zelensky emphasized that the number of fighters and pilots trained to operate them is still insufficient. The number of aircraft that have arrived in Ukraine and the tasks they have already completed and will perform in the future remains a secret.