Ukraine expects to receive Western aviation from international partners. It would be nice if we were given American fighters – F-16 or F-15.
This was told to Channel 24 by military expert Peter Chernik. He suggests that Ukrainian pilots may already have been trained on American aircraft. But, of course, now there is no evidence of this.
What planes would be good for Ukraine to get
As Chernik emphasized, he is a fan of American aviation. Their fighters fought repeatedly. Also, these aircraft are in service in a huge number of countries, including European ones.
The military expert believes that it would be advisable for Ukraine to receive not the F-16, but the F-15. It has a number of advantages that will greatly help the military at the front. In general, the F-15 fighter will give more opportunities to destroy the Russian invaders on the battlefield.
The combat radius of the F-16 is 550 km, and the F-15 is almost 1000 km. If the F-16 aircraft has 9 suspensions, then the F-15 has 11 suspensions. And the total missile and bomb load of the F-15 fighter is more than 7 tons of bombs of various nomenclature. Such an aviation missile carrier, Chernik noted.
He added that the F-16 is conditionally comparable to the Soviet MiG-29 fighter, and the F-15 is comparable to the Su-27.
Will Ukraine get American F-16 fighters: what is known
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about the aircraft during a conference marking the anniversary of the full-scale invasion. According to him, there is a feeling that 3 European countries can provide aircraft to Ukraine. and train pilots. Discussions on this topic are currently underway with international partners.
- Thus, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki noted that Poland is ready to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. However, this decision needs to be agreed in a broader coalition with international partners. He also stressed that the sky over Ukraine must be made safe.
- US President Joe Biden also commented on the transfer of American F-16 aircraft. He believes that now Ukraine does not need aircraft, so this issue is not relevant yet. He made this statement in an interview with ABC News.
