Military scientist: “America would never have fought like this” dead in nuclear accident in Russia – no radioactivity escaped

The delivery of Western fighter jets to Ukraine is still controversial among the Allies. But the call for more air support is getting louder – and not just from Kiev. During a trip to Ukraine, US experts stressed the importance of air dominance.

Dmitri Alperovych, a former Pentagon adviser, Rob Lee, a British military scientist, and Michael Kofman, a researcher at the Center for Naval Analysis in the US, looked at the course of the war – and compared it to US tactics. Her verdict: “America would never have fought like this.” Instead, one would have counted on attacks from the air: with carpet bombing of mine sites and trenches, “before the first soldier has even been dispatched,” Alperovych said in the podcast “Geopolitics Decanted”. But Ukraine did not have this chance.

US President Joe Biden had already given the green light in May for Ukrainian pilots to train on US F-16 fighter jets. However, no decision has yet been taken on the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine.

Ukraine expects the delivery of F16 fighter jets, according to the experts, but is certainly aware of the challenges. “These are big – they need to modernize their airports to use the F-16,” Alperovych said. When it comes to Swedish Gripen jets, Ukraine is more optimistic. “Just give them to us and we’ll show you what we do with them,” Alperovych was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian military. But airplanes alone were not enough.

A senior official told him: «I have five wishes: ammunition, ammunition, ammunition, ammunition, ammunition». A few days ago, US President Joe Biden also admitted that he was running low on ammunition – justifying the delivery of controversial cluster bombs.

British Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Rich Knighton said at the Global Air & Space Chiefs’ Conference 2023 in London on Thursday that Russia still has almost all of its air force, but neither Moscow nor Kiev has sovereignty. above the airspace.

This is due not only to the possible availability of fighter jets and helicopters, but also to the dense Ukrainian air defense system. At a conference, the Air Force Marshal presented figures: Russia still has 96 percent of its 2,021 aircraft and 90 percent of its attack helicopters. Losses would be 86 aircraft and 90 helicopters.

Ukraine, on the other hand, was hit harder. It only has 78 percent of its fighter jets and bombers – but Kiev has only 314 planes and 31 helicopters. The number of helicopters has even shrunk to 48 percent. For every 15 Ukrainian planes there are 100 Russian ones. Knighton relied on figures from the British government and the independent site Oryx, which lists material losses in the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s main combat aircraft are Russian: the Su-27, the multi-role Mig-29 and the Su-25. And although Poland and Slovakia recently donated spare Mig-29s, access to spare parts remains a logistical problem.

The British marshal also sees no decision in the air for the time being. Ukraine’s advantages are currently on the defensive. To go on the offensive means a “tremendous challenge without air superiority and without hitting the enemy deep in the back”. Nevertheless, control of the airspace is of great importance. “You can’t attack without air control,” Knighton said.

In June, the head of the US Air Force in Europe, General James Hacker, emphasized the importance of air defense at the start of the war. “All the material that the 45 countries have brought to Ukraine and been trucked in would never have gotten there if Russia had air superiority,” Hecker said, according to Business Insider.

These explanations could also be a reason why the West is still hesitant to deliver the jet fighters, which are worth several million dollars. Because the Russian air defense, as the losses on the Ukrainian side have shown, should not be underestimated.

While Ukraine’s allies still shy away from providing fighter jets, air support is still there. Because from there, reports the Ukrainian ua5.news, the reconnaissance aircraft of the Allies can, for example, launch missiles towards Ukraine in the Black Sea.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced last week that he would send an E-7A Wedgetail special aircraft to Germany. From there it would monitor the supply routes in Ukraine, along which weapons and other equipment are sent to Kiev. Western military aircraft can be seen time and time again over the Black Sea on Flightradar24’s flight tracking page.

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