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May 25, 2023 | 7:24 p.m
WASHINGTON — Pentagon leaders said Thursday they would not abandon their earlier objections to sending Ukrainian F-16 jets over air defense systems — despite President Biden last week authorizing training of Kiev pilots on the planes.
Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has requested F-16 aircraft since the first months of the war, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reiterated that it made more sense to offer weapons like the NASAMS air defense and Patriot missile systems first in order to do so prevent Russia from dominating the sky.
“The quickest, quickest, least expensive way to control this airspace was from the ground – you can do it either from the air or from the ground – and deploy effective integrated air defense systems at low altitude, short range, medium altitude, medium range – and long distances at altitude,” he said. “This is the most effective way to deny the Russians air superiority. And that’s exactly what they did.”
Pentagon leaders said they would not drop their earlier objections to sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
After a monthly meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which brings together more than 50 nations to coordinate military aid to Kiev, Milley said it would cost $1 billion to ship just 10 F-16s to Ukraine, plus one an additional billion US dollars to keep them there.
“The Russians have 1,000 fourth and fifth generation fighter jets [jets,] So if you’re going to face Russia in the air, you’ll need a significant amount,” he said. “So when you look at the cost curve and do the analysis, the smartest thing we’ve done is exactly what we’ve done, which is to provide a significant level of integrated air defense to cover the battlefield and deny the Russians airspace.” , and that.” That’s exactly what happened.”
But as the battlefield shifts and Russia is unable to secure more than a few towns in eastern Ukraine, getting F-16s into Ukrainian hands is becoming a reality. Austin said Thursday the US would soon work with Denmark and the Netherlands to develop a training framework for Ukrainians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been demanding F-16s since the first months of the war. ZUMAPRESS.com
Norway, Belgium, Portugal and Poland have also offered to help train pilots once the framework is finalized, he said.
“Starting work on the F-16 now is an important example of our long-term commitment to Ukraine’s security,” Austin said.
Still, Milley warned that adding the plane to Ukraine’s arsenal would not immediately end the 15-month war.
“In war there are no magic weapons. And sometimes they label certain things, you know, that’s going to be the magic weapon,” Milley said. “There are no magic weapons, and neither does the F-16 – or anything else.”
General Milley said it would cost $1 billion to ship just 10 F-16s to Ukraine, plus another $1 billion to keep them in service. Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Don’t expect to see F-16s flying over Ukraine’s skies anytime soon, however, as Kiev prepares for a counteroffensive to liberate Russian-held Ukrainian territory. Milley said that training pilots on the platforms is more about providing Ukrainians with a future capability that is more attuned to Western systems.
“This was hardcore military analysis, looking at costs, benefits and risk, examining battlefield needs now and in the near future,” he said. “The F-16 is a much longer term.”
The US has not yet committed to sending F-16s directly to Ukraine, but other NATO allies such as Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway also have the aircraft in their inventories and could offer them to Ukraine.
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