After the decision of Western partners to provide tanks, Ukraine is waiting for the next stage – the decision on fighters. F-16 aircraft are considered the most optimal, but Ukraine cannot buy them, so it counts on help from partners.
About thisChannel 24said Oleg Katkov, editor-in-chief of Defense Express. According to him, Poland is considering transferring 2 to 4 F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, but Ukraine as a whole requires at least 180 units.
Why Poland can transfer the maximum 4 aircraft
The editor-in-chief of the Defense Express publication explained that Poland has a total of 48 such aircraft and this number is also not enough for them, given the scale of the airspace that needs to be protected.
Ukrainians, according to Oleg Katkov, should be pragmatic about the capabilities of partners, because they cannot transfer all the available weapons, because they also need protection.
I would really expect that Poland will transfer a whole squadron of F-16s, it would be better, but in any case, even 1-4 aircraft will significantly strengthen the air force. We must rely on more realistic things, and not on the desire and not dispose of other people's property. Katkov said.
Referring to the speaker of the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat, Oleg Katkov noted that Ukraine needs 5 aviation brigades, and each of them should have 3 squadrons. One squadron is 12 aircraft. There are 180 planes in total.
Oleg Katkov told why Ukraine cannot buy planes for itself: watch the video
For example, Poland, half the size of Ukraine, seeks have 120 fighters, while South Korea and the Republic of China (Taiwan) have about 400 aircraft.
According to Katkov, 180 aircraft is the optimal number for Ukraine and will allow Ukraine to fully protect its sky. But Ukraine is not able to buy these planes because of their cost.
180 fighters is a fairly pragmatic number because we are talking about protecting the sky and you also need to understand that these are quite significant funds,” Katkov said.
How much do they cost
The editor-in-chief of Defense Express said that the latest contracts for the purchase of these aircraft are striking in amounts. For example, Bulgaria paid 1 billion 300 million dollars for 8 F-16 aircraft. In addition to the aircraft themselves, this amount includes training and main armament.
In 2020, Finland announced a tender for the purchase of new aircraft. As a result of the competition, 64 F-35 aircraft were purchased for a total of $10 billion.
According to Katkov, in Ukraine's record budget in 2021, about one billion dollars was allocated for all weapons, and since the beginning of the rashist full-scale invasion, the United States has helped Ukraine by $22 billion.
“This is a huge amount, so we understand that we will be going to the target near 180 fighters for quite a long time. Therefore, for the time being we will rely on the help that the allies provide us,” Katkov summed up.
Ukraine awaits decision on aircraft deliveries: what is known
- The US Department of Defense has begun discussing the issue of sending F-16 fighters to Ukraine, but a final decision has not yet been made.
- Expected that the decision to provide or not provide aircraft to Ukraine will be announced at the next meeting in the Ramstein format, which will be held on February 14, 2023.
- In addition to Poland, the Netherlands announced their readiness to transfer F-16s to Ukraine. They said that this possibility will be considered if there is a request. There is already such a request, but since the country of origin of the F-16 is the United States, not only the decision of the Netherlands is needed, but also the United States.
