Andriy Pilshchykov pleaded for F-16s to be sent to Ukraine

As dreams went, it was not a quiet one. And he had it often. He was flying with his squadron in a fourth-generation F-16 fighter jet with a maximum speed of more than 2,000kph, or Mach 2. This Fighting Falcon was the coolest plane there was. Through the frameless bubble canopy he could see perfectly across the immense flat patchwork of Ukraine. With little strain on the control stick he could take the plane through its paces, soaring to 15,000 metres, swooping low or rolling quickly away. Its combat range, with four 454kg bombs on board, was 546km before refuelling. If he was spotted, the F-16’s electronics could jam the enemy’s radar. And as their pilots dithered he could release, one by one, a deadly stream of Sidewinder or Python missiles to blast that Russian shit out of the sky.