What problems of transferring fighter jets to Ukraine
2023.02.09 14:57
What problems of transferring fighter jets to Ukraine
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, stated on Thursday that a number of Western nations were prepared to provide Kyiv with aircraft to defeat Russia’s invasion.
Any such offer was not immediately confirmed. However, a few specifics about the jets Ukraine wants and what it might get are provided below.
In Zelenskiy’s speech to British lawmakers this week, Ukraine asked its allies to provide it with modern fighter jets, dubbed “wings for freedom,” to replace its aging fleet of Soviet MiG and Sukhoi aircraft.
Due to their global availability and destructive power, F-16s manufactured in the United States are on its wish list. It also wants Sweden’s Gripen fighters, but it says it’s still talking about what jets allies could provide.
Ukraine has been attacking Russian positions and conducting intercept flights using its existing fleet, but its air force believes that newer jets could change the war’s course.
Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelenskiy’s adviser, stated that such aircraft would “close the sky” to Russian attacks. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force stated that they would “help to destroy practically any target” both in the air and on the ground.
Following Zelenskiy’s request for Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft in London this week, Britain stated that Ukrainian pilots would have to learn how to operate new jet models over the course of several years.
London has indicated that it will look into shortening the training sessions for experienced Ukrainian pilots and has agreed to begin pilot training in the spring.
Ben Wallace, the British defense minister, stated to the BBC, “This is not a simple case of towing an aircraft to the border.”
“A Formula One car basically cannot start and certainly cannot last more than a few laps without a pit crew. There is a pit crew that comes with high-end, sophisticated weapons like fighter jets, and we have to ask questions about that as well.”
Britain has said that it will not send any of its own Typhoons, and it has said that Ukrainian pilots may only be trained to fly Western aircraft after the war is over. According to Wallace, in order for Britain to send them, it would also require the approval of Germany, Italy, and Spain, the other nations that produce the Eurofighter.
There are likely to be some fighter jet models that work better than others.
The RUSI think tank’s Justin Bronk stated that providing Ukraine with Typhoons would be a “very expensive symbolic gesture.”
To avoid Russian air defenses, jets would need to fly low. However, Bronk argued in an analysis that the Russian long-range threat would largely negate the strategy that Typhoons are designed for high-level flight to increase the range of their missiles.
He stated that while Sweden’s Gripen planes could fly at lower altitudes and be serviced on shorter, rougher airstrips, the Typhoons and F-16s would need to operate from smooth runways and centralized bases.
Ukraine is certain that it will, and it has cited instances in the past when allies initially refused to send sophisticated weapons but later did.
Germany has said that it has considered sending fighter jets, but the United States and France say they haven’t.
Although the possibility of sending fighter jets was not ruled out, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson played down expectations by stating that the topic was not currently on Stockholm’s agenda.
Poland, one of Ukraine’s most fervent supporters, stated that it would not make such a decision on its own and would require NATO to act collectively.
In order to expand its fleet, Slovakia has agreed to send 11 MiG fighters to Ukraine.
By giving away too much equipment, Western governments have been wary of leaving their own countries defenseless.
In case it gives Moscow a reason to escalate the war, they have also so far avoided sending anything that could strike deeply into Russian territory. According to the Kremlin, sending jets would put Western nations in direct conflict with Russia.
