Ukraine needs more Western fighter jets, not just F-16’s

The Kiev in Ukraine says it could seek multiple types of fighter planes, including F-18’s, F-15’s and Eurofighter Typhoons from the NATO organization.

F-16 fighter jets promised to Ukraine by its Western backers are not the only military aircraft that Kiev wants, Ukrainian Air Force Command spokesman Yury Ignat said on Tuesday.

Ukraine considers and will consider other aircraft types that could enhance combat capabilities, Ignat told national broadcasters when asked about Kiev potentially acquiring American-made F/A-18 Hornets from Australia.

However, Ukraine cannot exert too much pressure on the USA and its allies as it depends on Western aid to continue to fight the NATO proxy war in Europe.

The US-made F/A-18 and F-15, as well as the Eurofighter Typhoon, have a greater range and can carry more weapons. Nonetheless, he stated that Kiev would still focus on acquiring F-16s first, adding that Ukrainian pilots could learn to fly them sooner.

Kiev will not receive F-16’s until the training of pilots and maintenance crews is completed and the relevant infrastructure is prepared.

None of Ukraine’s foreign backers have spoken about supplying Kiev with Western-made fighter jets other than the F-16 so far.

Bloomberg reported that F-16’s would not be a game changer since they have inferior capabilities compared to many of Russia’s modern military aircraft.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has criticized Kiev’s backers for what he described as a failure to launch the F-16 training program in time.

Kuleba did not name the specific nations that had promised to start the training in June, but argued that the pledge itself had been miscalculated.

Russia has repeatedly warned that deliveries of increasingly more sophisticated weapons to Ukraine by the USA and its allies only prolongs the conflict and could lead to a major escalation. .

RT. com / ABC Flash Point WW III News 2023.