US approves transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

The meeting of the leaders of the G7 countries in the Japanese city of Hiroshima (held on May 19-21) was used to announce an agreement to supply fourth-generation American-made F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv. As US President Joe Biden said at a press conference after the summit, he outlined to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Hiroshima, the plans of the United States and its allies to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighters and other fourth-generation Western combat aircraft.

Biden also said he had received assurances from Zelensky that the F-16s would not be used to attack Russian territory and did not expect them to be used in Ukraine’s upcoming counteroffensive. The American president also noted that the vehicles would not have helped the Ukrainian army in Bakhmut, which was surrendered on May 20 (see article on page 03). German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the plan to transfer combat fighter jets to Ukraine is a “message” to Russia. At the same time, the resolution of the G7 summit speaks of the full support of Ukraine and promises tougher sanctions against Russia.

The single-engine light fighter of the fourth generation F-16 was developed in the USA in the 70s. last century. It can be used both for strikes against ground targets (including, when finalized, long-range cruise missiles), and for air defense purposes.

Ukraine launched a campaign regarding the need to transfer Western fighters to Kyiv at the end of 2022, after the decision to transfer tanks. As in the case of tanks, from the western side of the major countries in support of these demands of Kyiv, France and Great Britain were the first to speak out. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the training of Ukrainian pilots to pilot the French Mirage 2000 fighters. The UK announced that it would lead a group of European countries that would transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine and train their pilots (at the same time, the British Air Force does not have these American fighters in service).

In May 2023, it was announced that the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark could provide their F-16 aircraft to Ukraine (the exact number of aircraft was not named). In addition, Poland and Slovakia handed over to Ukraine about 20 MiG-29 fighters of Soviet and Russian production in 2023. Poland is not going to transfer its F-16s to Ukraine (it received 48 new-made aircraft in the 2000s), citing the fact that it needs them itself.

Initially, according to the book “Military-technical cooperation between Russia and foreign countries. Market Analysis (Moscow: Nauka, 2008), the Belgian Air Force received 162 Belgian-assembled F-16A / B fighters, the Netherlands received 213 of the same aircraft of its own assembly, and Denmark received 77 aircraft of Belgian, Dutch and American assembly. Many of these machines have been retired or sold to countries in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

According to a source close to the Ministry of Defense, obtaining the F-16 will require the creation of a new and different basing infrastructure from the usual Soviet fighters that Ukraine has. It implies increased requirements for the quality of the runway pavement. In addition, the F-16 auxiliary power unit runs on an extremely toxic fuel – hydrazine.

At the same time, basing for sorties on airfields in Poland is technically impractical, he continues. Then they will be able to fly up to the line of contact with a very limited ammunition load. It cannot be ruled out that in Poland the F-16 will undergo complex forms of maintenance, and the Ukrainian air bases will be used as jump airfields, Vedomosti’s interlocutor continues. Ukraine motivates the need for Western fighters by saying that it needs to fight Russian aircraft, which are increasingly using precision bombs, the source argues. The transfer of Western fighters will not be able to turn the tide, he concludes.

According to Mikhail Barabanov, an expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, the F-16 can be transferred to Ukraine before the end of this year. For example, the Netherlands is already changing their F-16s to new American F-35 fighters, so they can give away 12-16 cars at once, while Belgium and Denmark are likely to limit themselves to a symbolic four cars, he notes. The Netherlands, followed by Denmark and Belgium, are changing their F-16s to F-35s, which makes their transfer the simplest, Alexander Ermakov, a researcher at the IMEMO RAS, points out.

In addition, these machines are in a state of airworthiness and themselves can be transferred quickly, Yermakov adds. But taking into account the need to train personnel and flight crews, the transfer of these aircraft can occur in no less than six months, or even later, he argues: “Western fighters require a completely different ecosystem for their maintenance. Like other manned aircraft, these aircraft have strict requirements for safe operation.”