Pentagon officials want to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to fight Putin after Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s army seized tanks from Germany and the US.
Zelensky is seeking fourth-generation fighter jets capable of speeds in excess of 1,200 miles per hour — contributing to nearly $30 billion in military and security aid since the February 24 Russian invasion.
Controversial debate over whether to send the jets to Ukraine continues as the Biden administration, which has so far rejected Kiev’s requests, must approve the transfers.
Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan J. Finer claimed that while there is no final decision, the possibility is not off the table — but senior officials are said to be interested.
“We have not ruled out or ruled out any particular systems,” Finer said, according to The Telegraph. Any such donation of F-16s would further infuriate Vladimir Putin and likely fuel the badly damaged relationship between Russia and the West.
Fourth-generation fighter jets (above) can reach speeds in excess of 1,200 miles per hour. The jets would add nearly $30 billion in military and security aid since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24
A senior US defense official added, “I don’t think we’re against it.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said Saturday that Ukrainian officials are focused on “accelerated” discussions about military weapons such as warplanes.
“We must show the true picture of this war… [and how] this will reduce security threats to the European continent,” Podolyak said of Western allies, according to the news outlet.
The Biden administration must approve the transfer of fighter jets
Zelenskyy is preparing for the US to give in to another of his demands as experienced pilots have already been identified to fly the fighter jets, Politico reported.
The F-16 fighter will bolster Kiev’s defenses as the jet can fly more than 500 miles and locate targets in all weather conditions – as well as being able to detect low-flying aircraft in radar ground clutter.
The US has provided military support to Ukraine by deploying devastating missile systems, thousands of vehicles and more than 100 million pieces of ammunition.
Before the invasion, even the idea of delivering lethal aid to Ukraine was very controversial, but Western deliveries have broken taboo after taboo ever since.
The Ukrainian Air Force has its own fleet of vintage Soviet-era fighter jets that rolled off the production line before Kyiv declared independence more than 31 years ago. The fighter jets are used for intercept missions and to attack Russian positions.
Ukrainian leaders believe Western military hardware will deal a blow to Putin’s invasion, which has been ongoing since last February
Last week, Ukraine finally convinced Western leaders to part with dozens of sophisticated tanks they believe will deal a major blow to Putin’s invasion.
The Biden government is sending a full battalion of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine after a complicated diplomatic dance in which Germany announced its own decision to send 14 tanks to Kyiv, with more on the way.
The US is testing 31 tanks at a total cost of $400 million. Officials are also providing 500 armored vehicles as part of the package.
President Joe Biden called the M1 Abrams tanks “the most capable tanks in the world” and said they would “improve Ukraine’s ability to defend its territory to achieve its strategic goals.”
He added that the Ukrainian military would use the armor to “liberate their country”.
Biden government sends Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine. The US approved 500 armored vehicles
The US has offered Ukraine 16 high-mobility artillery-missile systems at a price of $4 million per unit, $110,000 per missile. Developed by Lockheed Martin, the truck-mounted launchers can launch six guided missiles up to 50 miles – or even further, depending on the ammunition used.
High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) were also based in Ukraine and cost around $5 million per unit. The HIMARS is considered one of the most advanced rocket artillery systems in the world.
It can fire six guided missiles in quick succession. Ukraine has already used the system to devastating effect against Russian forces, targeting both soldiers and infrastructure. At least 63 Russian soldiers were killed in a strike on New Year’s Day.
Patriot missiles costing $10 million per launcher and $4 million per missile, howitzers costing $570,000 per unit and a fleet of Mi-17 helicopters costing $17 million per unit were also supplied by the US delivered.
The truck-mounted HIMARS launchers fire GPS-guided missiles that can hit targets up to 50 miles away, a distance that makes them unattainable for most Russian artillery systems
The Patriot is a surface-to-air guided missile system, first deployed in the 1980s, capable of attacking aircraft, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles
The British-built M777 is an ultra-light howitzer that first saw service in the 2001 Afghanistan conflict
First, in the early 2010s, the US bought a fleet of Mi-17 helicopters — a Soviet-designed military aircraft developed in Russia — for Ukraine