British and Dutch plans Helping Ukraine procure F-16 fighter jets has put the United States and some of its closest European allies at odds – yet again – about what weapons the West should send to Kiev to defend against the Russian invasion.
Even if the Biden administration were to overcome its long-standing reluctance to supply the US-made planes to Ukraine, the F-16 would not be used in combat for months at the earliest, officials and military analysts say. But with no end in sight to the war, the F-16 has become the latest advanced weapon that Ukraine and some of its supporters say Russia must fend off — both in the current conflict and for years to come.
Here’s a look at the F-16, why Ukraine wants it, and why the Biden administration is reluctant to deliver it.
What is the F-16?
First flown in 1976The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a supersonic fighter aircraft used by the military in 25 countries for air-to-air combat and air-to-ground attacks. It has flown in American conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, the Persian Gulf and on home defense missions in US airspace.
The F-16 is being built by American defense contractor Lockheed Martin and manufacturers in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway – four countries that a senior Ukrainian official has said have tacitly signaled they are ready to transfer some of their F-16s to Kiev .
It is broadly considered Versatile, lightweight and economical – at a price of up to $63 million, depending on the model, according to some estimates. There are currently approximately 3,000 active duty military personnel worldwide, including hundreds in the US Air Force and Navy.
Why does Ukraine want them so badly?
The F-16 has both offensive and defensive capabilities. In the short term, Ukrainian officials say F-16s and other advanced Western fighter jets will be needed to bolster air defenses as Kiev’s existing ground-based systems are depleted by frequent Russian missile barrages. The jets can be launched in minutes and equipped to shoot down incoming missiles and enemy planes.
Without modern combat aircraft, “no air defense system will be perfect,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said European leaders gathered at a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland this week.
Beyond the current conflict, many officials across Europe and in the United States believe the F-16 could be an important deterrent against future aggression against Ukraine by the vastly superior Russian Air Force.
Why is the US so reluctant to send them?
Training Ukraine’s pilots to fly Western jets will take months, and the Biden administration says it would be better off sending weapons to help Ukraine in its forthcoming counteroffensive against Russia — a fight many in the West are hoping that it represents a turning point in the war. A senior US official said this week that the cost of sending F-16s would eat up much of already dwindling US war funding.
At a hearing in the House of Representatives last month, Celeste A. Wallander, a deputy secretary of defense, said the administration is focused on Ukraine’s military needs, but also on the practical. “What do you need right now? That’s what we’ve focused on in the struggles they face,” she said. “What can we deliver in a timely and effective manner?”
She said modern western jet fighters like the F-16 are “about eighth” on the priority list.
What are the chances that Ukraine will eventually get F-16s?
Probably medium to high according to officials and military analysts. The Biden administration has previously said no to several types of advanced weaponry for Ukraine — including HIMARS missile launcher, Abrams tank And Patriot missiles – only to then do a U-turn under pressure from European allies and Congress.
Analysts say the most likely scenario is that the United States would issue re-export licenses to other countries with F-16 aircraft, allowing them to transfer their jets to Ukraine. Given the cost of each jet, it’s less likely that the United States would send its own F-16s to Ukraine, although that’s not impossible.
If Western allies plan to upgrade Ukraine’s aging Soviet-era air fleet with more modern jets, providing the country with F-16s is “the most likely outcome,” said Douglas Barrie, a military aerospace expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
He also said that Britain, with its “special ties” with America, was unlikely to pursue an attempt to provide F-16s unless the Biden government was at least somewhat on board. “It would be surprising to say the least,” he said.
