President Zelenskyj has wanted them for a long time: fighter jets from the West are to break the dominance of the Russian Air Force over Ukraine. The first deliveries are now due to arrive.
Ukraine has waited a long time for western fighter jets – now the time has come: the new Dutch government wants to deliver F16 jets “immediately”. There have also been commitments from Belgium, Denmark and Norway. “The F16 is a good and relatively inexpensive aircraft,” says security expert Christian Mölling from the German Council on Foreign Relations. The multi-purpose machines could “really be helpful in taking away the Russians’ options.”
F16s can also attack targets on the ground
This particularly concerns the terrorist attacks on Ukrainian cities with huge, relatively simple glide bombs that Russian jets release from a great distance. This would be much riskier if they were exposed to the air missiles of Ukrainian F16s. By threatening the attackers, Ukraine could – depending on the number and stationing of the jets – “possibly at least bring about a stalemate in the air,” says Mölling in the star– “The situation – international”. The F16s can also attack targets on the ground or fire cruise missiles, with a large number of systems from NATO arsenals being compatible with the aircraft. A side effect of the delivery is that the Ukrainian armed forces are being brought closer to Western standards.
Ukraine wanted more
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj has demanded at least 120 to 130 aircraft from the West to break the dominance of the Russian Air Force over his country. He will probably get 80, and some of them will not arrive for several years. This shows how big the problems are. They range from training the pilots to the gigantic logistical effort to securing the airfields where the F16s are stationed against Russian attacks.
Regarding the effect of the aircraft from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Mölling said: “It’s like a seesaw where two people push off with their feet. The Ukrainians have a bit more power with these aircraft.” However, the F16 is no more a miracle weapon than other weapons systems that can change the situation overnight. Zelenskyj is counting on them to strengthen the population’s confidence in the country’s success.
Source: Stern
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