The U.S. New York Times (NYT) reported on the 21st (local time) that the reason Ukraine desperately wants F-16 fighter jets is to have the ability to counter 4.5-generation fighters, including the Su-35 fighters that the Russian military has in the hundreds. The following is a summary of David French columnist’s article.
On the occasion of my visit to Ukraine last week, I checked the reasons for requesting fighter jets. I met with the defense minister, foreign minister, judicial authorities, and economic department officials. All of them unanimously emphasized that Ukraine needs advanced fighter jets from the West. In particular, they asked for an American F-16 fighter jet.
Even the Minister of Regional and Infrastructure Development, Oleksandr Kubrakou, presented a document requesting F-16 fighters as soon as they met. This is the document I thought Defense Minister Oleksi Reznikow would come up with. Of course, Minister Reznikow also came up with it.
While visiting Ukraine, I thought I would need an advanced fighter, but I didn’t think I would absolutely need the F-16. This is because European countries also have their own 4.5-generation fighters.
Fighters classify performance into generations. Early third-generation fighters, developed by the middle of the Cold War, are not needed by Ukraine. Fourth-generation fighters, such as the F-15 and F-16 and early models of Russia’s MIG-29 and Su-27, are among the best fighters of the Cold War era and are still in use today.
The most advanced fighters are fifth-generation fighters, including the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II and Russia’s Su-57. 4.5 generation fighters do not have stealth performance, but their performance is greatly improved compared to the 4th generation, so they belong to advanced fighters.
Currently, 4.5 generation fighters include the US F-15, F-16 and F-18 fighters, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripen, and the French Dassault Rafale. In addition, the Russian Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 are also 4.5 generations. Russia has hundreds of them, but Ukraine has none. Ukraine has only a few dozen Soviet fourth-generation fighters.
Fighters of the next generation can never compete with fighters of the previous generation. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Reznikow said Russia’s Su-35 fighter jets could strike targets at more than five times the distance of Ukrainian Su-29 fighters. In addition, 4.5 generation fighters can be equipped with more advanced missiles. Because of this, Ukraine is unable to seize air supremacy in the frontline area and is experiencing great difficulties in defending its airspace.
Anti-aircraft missiles such as the Patriot missile supported by the West have excellent performance, but the area they can defend is extremely limited. The front lines and most Ukrainian civilian areas and infrastructure are vulnerable to Russian airstrikes.
The F-16 fighter has the ability to not only defend the airspace, but also attack Russian ground forces from a distance. In particular, Ukrainian officials say the F-16 is essential because Russia is reducing the accuracy of the US-sponsored High Mobility Multiple Launch Launch Vehicle (HIMARS) due to jamming. In addition, it is emphasized that it is necessary to counter Russian fighters attacking outside the range of anti-aircraft missiles.
This is why Ukraine wants an American-made F-16 fighter rather than a European 4.5-generation fighter. Defense Minister Reznikow said Europe’s inventory of 4.5-generation fighters is too small, while thousands of F-16s are deployed around the world and work to replace them with 5-generation fighters is underway. (NATO)’s defense posture.
Lastly, regarding the concern that fighter aircraft support would escalate the war, supporting a small number of F-16 fighter jets cannot pose a threat to the Russian mainland and can only attack Russian forces that have invaded Ukraine. In fact, the F-16 does not have the remote attack capabilities of the B-1 Lancer bomber or the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter bomber. As such, the F-16 is an ideal fit for Ukraine to strengthen its defense capabilities and build front-line offensive capability.
The US policy of supporting European F-16s rather than its own is wrong and needs to be corrected. The policy of providing F-16s to Ukraine is correct. It is essential to keep Ukraine viable in the long run, as well as to drive Russian forces out of Ukraine and prevent Russia from attacking elsewhere.
Former Ukraine Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk said, “Any NATO general would say that a war cannot be won without air power.” We can achieve the peace we desire only when we support Ukraine to win beyond defending itself against collapse.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.