Should the delivery of these fighter jets take shape in the coming weeks, the Ukrainian armed forces could make up for the lack of air resources and benefit from a versatile fleet.
Will delivery of F-16 fighter jets mark military turning point in war in Ukraine? Symbolically, Volodymyr Zelenskyy won his case over these US-made planes, which Kiev has been urging for several weeks. After refusing to do so, Joe Biden told G7 leaders on Friday, May 19, that he had given the go-ahead for Westerners to supply fighter jets, including F-16s, to Ukraine will give.
About these devices, nicknamed “Fighting Falcon”, the Ukrainian President on Friday welcomed a “historic decision by the United States”. “This will significantly strengthen our air force,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote. on twitter.
The F-16 entered service with the US Air Force in 1978 and was first developed by the American company General Dynamics and today by Lockheed Martin. For this reason, Joe Biden’s approval is absolutely necessary in the event of a delivery to a third country. In response, to protect American military technology, the State Department — the equivalent of the State Department — gives the go-ahead.
Make a quantitative lag
The “Fighting Falcon” has the advantage that it is a fighter aircraft that is widespread around the world. “More than 4,000 examples have been produced since its launch,” says Defense and Aeronautics Advisor Xavier Tytelman, also a former member of Naval Aviation, in Figaro. According to the 2023 report by Flight Global, a media outlet specializing in aviation, 2,184 of these aircraft are still in service, representing 15% of the total bomber fleet in all countries combined. Therefore, theoretically, there are thousands of copies of this device.
“It is possible to improve them very quickly,” assured Franceinfo Xavier Tytelman three days before Joe Biden approved. For General Jean-Claude Allard, questioned by franceinfo on Saturday, this green light from the US will allow “additional capabilities to be added in an area where Ukraine was currently somewhat weak”, namely “the air force and operational capacity.” “Warplanes in Support of Ground Forces”.
Kiev has been at a disadvantage in the air since the beginning of the war. As of January 19, 2023, the date of the latest census by military analysis site Global Firepower (in English), Ukraine had 187 operational aircraft, compared to Russia’s 2,091. The delivery of F-16 would therefore make it possible to more or less fill this gap.
A multifunctional combat aircraft
But the F-16 is also known for its versatility. “It’s a multifunction aircraft that can provide reconnaissance if it’s equipped with specific systems,” explains Jean-Claude Allard. For the military specialist, he is also ready to “complete anti-aircraft defenses to prevent Russian planes from attacking Ukraine.”
“He will also be able to provide air-to-ground support, so fire directly at the Russian forces holding the line of defense today.”
General Jean Claude Allard
france info
Therefore, depending on the chosen configuration, the F-16 plays on all fronts: air-to-air and air-to-ground. After all, it is capable of firing several tens of kilometers from its target, thus hitting “ammunition reserves” or “axes of communication” behind the front line.
Joe Biden’s decision is “very significant,” said Mick Ryan, a military expert and former Australian Army general, in an interview with AFP because these planes are on par, if not superior, to Russian fighters. They are likely to complicate Moscow’s flight operations in Ukraine.
Lots of open questions
With Ukraine’s counter-offensive on Russian-held territories awaited for months, will Joe Biden’s “gift” convince Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch it? “It takes about six months for operational aircraft to reach the theater of war,” says Jean-Claude Allard. The General judged that this counter-offensive could only lead to victory by “bundling all means”.
“As the training unfolds over the next few months, our coalition of countries participating in this action will decide when we will provide aircraft, how many, and who will provide them,” a senior White House official said Friday as Joe Biden looked at it attended G7 summit in Japan. A sentence that gets to the heart of the gray areas surrounding the announcement by the American President.
Pending clarification by Washington, several European countries stood by their pledges to train Ukraine’s military, as Denmark had promised. Paris and London have also opened up this path, with the peculiarity that they don’t have any F-16s in stock anyway. On Tuesday, the United Kingdom had called for an “international coalition” to supply these fighter jets to the Ukrainian army, but then assumed, in agreement with Germany, that it was up to the “White House” to finally give the green light.
“Reduce training times” for pilots
Only Poland and the Netherlands went further and said they were ready to supply Kiev with these fighter jets. Like a number of NATO countries, they have committed to replacing their F-16 fleet with a newer aircraft, the F-35. “This does not strip the operational forces,” estimates Figaro Xavier Tytelman. However, it is impossible to know how much is inherited.
Since the approval was not officially signed, the delivery date is also unknown. Added to this is the training period for Ukrainian soldiers. “The United States conducted an experiment on a simulator with two Ukrainian pilots. They trained them in four months instead of 18 months. We will certainly shorten the training times,” expects Jean-Claude Allard. But the general warns: “We mustn’t forget that behind it is also the maintenance staff (…) who will be servicing these planes. We also need to prepare the equipment that we will deliver to the Ukrainians.”