Here’s What We Know About Western Jet Fighter Coalition For Ukraine “National Duty”: Kilicdaroglu Calls On Turks Abroad To Vote

Joe Biden does. After months of hesitation, the US president relented, fulfilling a long-held wish of his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky: Biden paved the way for the delivery of US F-16 fighter jets to Kiev.

Just a few weeks after the Russian invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian government requested fighter jets. To their continued demands and pleas in the months that followed, Washington and Biden personally gave only a stern no. Now the US government is about to turn around. The question now arises whether this can also change Germany’s mind.

What exactly is planned?

The US supports the training of Ukrainian pilots on Western-style fighter jets. As training progresses, the US and the coalition of countries participating in the project plan to make further decisions: who will actually deliver fighter jets, how many and when. Much is still open.

For now, the only thing that is clear is that the training of the pilots outside Ukraine will take place at locations in Europe, should start in the coming weeks if possible – and take months.

Has the US itself committed to supplying F-16s?

No. The US government has explicitly left this open. However, the way has been cleared for other countries to eventually transfer F-16s from their stockpile to Ukraine.

Biden has, in fact, given approval — even though the specific decisions on this won’t be made until the next step. It is quite conceivable that the US itself will ultimately not supply any aircraft.

Why did everything depend on the US?

The F-16s are built by the American company Lockheed Martin. As a result, the US plays a key role not only because of its own large holdings. They must also approve any export of F-16s from allied stocks. And because of the sensitive technology of the jets, they have a say in who is trained on them.

The hands of the European partners were tied without an agreement from the US. The US announcement has one limitation: it concerns “fourth generation fighter jets, including the F-16”.

Why is the reference to the fourth generation necessary?

The reference mainly means that Kiev should not get the very latest fighter jets such as the F-35 for the time being. At the same time, however, it is also made clear that other models could also be delivered in addition to the F-16.

The Tornados and Eurofighters used by Germany, the French Mirage 2000 or other American models such as the F-15 and F/A-18 Hornet are also counted as fourth generation fighters.

Which countries have F-16s and who wants to participate?

In addition to the USA, various other countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Denmark and Greece can also be regarded as supplier countries for the F-16. To this day they all use the powerful jet. Great Britain and France, which do not have their own F-16s, also want to participate in the pilot training.

Why does Kiev want the F-16 so badly?

The reason Ukraine wants F-16s and not other multi-role fighters is because US jets are still considered extremely capable and widely used. More than 2800 units were recently in use worldwide. So Kiev can hope for larger quantities and no major problems in purchasing spare parts.

What do the Ukrainians hope for from the fighter jets?

They assume that the number of successful Russian missile and drone attacks with the F-16 can be significantly reduced. They would be used in conjunction with ground-based air defense systems. Ukraine also wants Western fighter jets to be used in offensives against Russian attackers in support of ground forces.

“F-16s will allow us to control our airspace, protect our troops, reduce their casualties and increase our pilots’ chances of surviving aerial combat,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote in a recent op-ed. for the American trade magazine “Foreign Policy”. ». A delivery of F-16s could also ensure a faster end to the war.

Is Germany included?

This is not expected. Weeks ago, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) described the provision of Western-style fighter jets as nonsensical. He also points out that Germany is one of the main arms suppliers to Kiev. Berlin has forged an alliance to supply German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks and last week put together a weapons package worth €2.7 billion.

Scholz’s motto now is: No new quality weapon systems, but more of the same – mainly anti-aircraft systems, tanks, artillery, ammunition. Germany has no F-16 to offer anyway. The Bundeswehr flies Eurofighter and Tornados. However, this does not prevent Britain and France from getting involved.

Why have Americans hesitated for so long?

The United States was concerned that Western fighter jets could be used for attacks on Russian territory, prompting Moscow to escalate the war outside Ukraine. The Americans also objected to the great effort involved in training the pilots and the technicians who have to maintain the jets.

Last but not least, the F-16s are very expensive and would limit the financial scope for other weapon systems. The money factor is not unimportant: with their new power in the US Congress, the Republicans have already threatened to no longer approve large-scale aid to Ukraine.

Why did Biden give in right now?

Europeans have been pushing more and more lately for the United States to move. Behind closed doors, the Americans never ruled out eventually delivering F-16s or at least not getting in the way of partners – not necessarily out of conviction, but in case of doubt just to get the alliance of Ukraine supporters together hold. That’s exactly what happened now. Not for the first time.

The US also agreed to supply Kiev with its own main battle tanks only after much hesitation – to support Germany in supplying their Leopards. The timing is also likely related to Zelenskyy’s surprise visit to the G7 summit in Japan. The G7 countries could not send him home empty-handed from the sensational journey.

How do the Americans justify the decision themselves?

Officially, the US government does not want to know anything about a turnaround. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, says it just wasn’t the right time for F-16s. From the very beginning, the decision to supply weapons to Kiev was based on the requirements of the war.

The US would have delivered everything they promised. Now it is a matter of looking to the future and seeing what the Ukrainian military needs in the long run to deter and repel Russia. That’s where the jets come in.

Sources

(t-online/dsc)