Not yet receiving F-16 aircraft, Ukraine has asked the US to provide additional missiles to occupy Crimea

"The F-16 is not compatible with Storm Shadow or SCALP, but it is compatible with JASSM. By combining the F-16 with JASSM, the Ukrainian Air Force can double its power to strike deep into enemy defenses. Increasing the number of cruise missiles can help Kiev achieve one of its main goals: to 'liberate' the Crimean peninsula," the publication said.

Axe added that the JASSM stealth air-to-surface cruise missile with a range of 370 km was on Kiev's "wish list." According to the observer, even after being supplied with F-16 fighter jets, Ukraine would not be able to fully exploit their potential without these missiles.

Currently, the Ukrainian armed forces are trying to cross the front line and cut off Russia's land route to Crimea, something that Axe said could have been achieved with much less loss of life using F-16s equipped with JASSM missiles.

The American JASSM air-to-surface cruise missile, developed by Lockheed Martin, is designed to destroy both stationary and mobile targets in all weather conditions at any time of the day. B-52H, B-1B, B-2, F-15E strategic bombers, as well as F-16 C and D, F/A-18, F-117, F-35 JSF tactical fighters are used to launch the missile. The Polish government has announced that it wants to be one of the first countries to be supplied with the American JASSM-XR missile for its fighter aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said that Ukraine must meet certain criteria for the US to agree to transfer F-16 fighter jets to the country. "To complete the transfer to a third party, certain criteria must be met, including English language training and other things, such as ground logistics... Once those criteria are met, we will be ready to approve the transfer," the Pentagon quoted Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh as explaining.

The US Department of Defense has said it is ready to participate in training Ukrainian pilots if European allies fail to provide the number of pilots Kiev needs. At the same time, the Pentagon said Ukraine has not yet decided how many pilots it will send for training.

The Pentagon also noted that Ukrainian pilots need to learn English well before they can fly F-16s, and admitted that this would take "some time."

Earlier, NBC News quoted sources as saying that the Kiev government was disappointed and confused by the West's delay in delivering F-16 fighter jets but did not dare to publicly discuss the cause of the incident. US sources pointed out that most of the Ukrainian pilots selected for training had to learn English./.