Could the Ukrainian Air Force soon attack Russian targets with Western fighter jets? After the developments of the past few days, everything looks like it. Answers to the most important questions.
The way for a delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine finally seems clear. The armed forces of the country attacked by Russia should receive the first aircraft around the turn of the year at the latest.
Dozens more are planned to follow. What the developments mean for Ukraine and NATO is now being discussed controversially. Questions and answers at a glance.
What are the Ukrainians hoping for from the fighter jets?
They assume that the number of successful Russian missile and drone attacks could be significantly reduced with the F-16. To do this, they would be used in conjunction with ground-based anti-aircraft systems. In addition, Ukraine wants the more than 2000 km/h fast multi-role combat aircraft in order to use them in offensives against Russia to support the ground troops.
“F-16s will allow us to control our skies, protect our troops, reduce their casualties and increase our pilots’ chances of surviving dogfights,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote in a guest post for the US trade magazine “Foreign Policy”.
A delivery of F-16s could also ensure a faster end to the war. This will save many lives, but also conserve political, military and economic resources.
Can Ukraine achieve such a rapid breakthrough?
That is considered very unlikely – above all because the Russian Air Force has considerable defense capacities. The F-16 is not a “game changer,” said political scientist Maximilian Terhalle of the German Press Agency.
For President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, the fighter jets are an essential element in “maintaining and promoting the motivation of the population and the troops.” This applies all the more because the current counter-offensive “is not yet where it should be in general perception,” explained the visiting professor at the London School of Economics.
Why is Ukraine getting F-16s and not other fighter jets?
Officially dubbed the “Fighting Falcon,” the jets are considered extremely powerful and widely used. According to the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin, around 3,000 units were still in use worldwide. Kiev can therefore hope to get larger quantities and no major problems in procuring spare parts.
Why are the first fighter jets only being delivered in a few months?
The main reason for this is the necessary pilot training. According to the military, it probably takes four to nine months to train Ukrainian fighter pilots trained on Soviet models how to use the Western aircraft model. The complete training of a soldier with no flying experience to become a fighter pilot usually takes at least four years.
Which countries make the F-16 available?
So far, Denmark and the Netherlands have given firm commitments. According to Ukrainian data, it is about 61 planes. 19 F-16s are said to come from Denmark, the first six around the turn of the year. Ukraine is expecting 42 aircraft from the Netherlands. In both Denmark and the Netherlands, the F-16 jets are gradually being replaced by more modern F-35 aircraft.
As a manufacturing country, why doesn’t the USA supply F-16s?
That’s not entirely clear. In background discussions, US government officials have argued in the past with an unfavorable cost-benefit ratio and indicated that they consider the delivery of other weapon systems to be more important. There is also concern that Western fighter jets are being used to attack Russian territory, contrary to agreements, and could thus prompt Moscow to escalate the war beyond Ukraine.
What is the government’s position on the deliveries?
Like US President Joe Biden, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is keen to keep the risk of an escalation between Russia and NATO as low as possible. Accordingly, he has expressed reservations about the fighter jet coalition in the past.
In June, Scholz said in the Bundestag that arms deliveries would continue to focus on armored combat vehicles, anti-aircraft systems, artillery and the necessary ammunition. Germany is thus providing exactly what Ukraine needs most urgently in the offensive to liberate its territories.
The federal government can also point out that Germany does not own any F-16s, but only Eurofighters and Tornados from European joint production. With Great Britain and France, however, NATO countries are also participating in the fighter jet coalition, which themselves have no F-16 in use. You want to support the training.
Is Ukraine also interested in supplying German Eurofighters or Tornados?
Basically yes. In May, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov expressed interest in Eurofighters from Germany and Great Britain and in Swedish Gripen jets. However, this is not an issue for the federal government at the moment.
What does the F-16 decision mean for the German discussion about a delivery of Taurus cruise missiles?
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit sees no connection. The federal government does not feel pressured by the decision, he said on Monday. The fact is, however, that the Taurus missiles, with a range of 500 kilometers, could help the Ukrainian armed forces, like the fighter jets, to attack targets far behind the front line and thus disrupt the supply of Russian combat troops.
“We have enough Taurus cruise missiles. We can hand over some of them. They are ready for action,” said FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann on Monday. Your party expects a quick decision on this issue. Theoretically, it could fall by or during the federal cabinet meeting in the coming week.
How is Russia reacting to the F-16 deliveries?
Russia accuses the West of allowing itself to be drawn deeper and deeper into the war. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov even said in July that Moscow could see the fighter jets as a nuclear threat because they could carry missiles that could be equipped with nuclear warheads. In an interview with the Russian Internet portal Lenta, he warned that the risk of a direct military conflict with Russia would be created and that could have catastrophic consequences.
How is the risk of escalation viewed at NATO headquarters in Brussels?
There is no official answer to this question from the defense alliance. Instead, it is emphasized that NATO itself does not deliver any weapons to Ukraine and that decisions on arms deliveries are a matter for the member states. However, the fact that the USA is allowing the delivery of F-16s is seen as a clear sign that the risk of escalation is classified as manageable. In the event of a Russian attack on a NATO state, the alliance case under Article 5 of the NATO treaty could be declared. Then it would be: “One for all, all for one”.