F16 fighters: the warplanes that kyiv covets after obtaining the ‘Leopard 2’ tanks

After ensuring the shipment of more than a hundred European tanks ‘Leopard 2’, ‘Abrams’ of the US and the British ‘Challenger 2’; the Ukrainian government puts pressure on its western allies with F16 fighters. Their main focus now is the supply of these fighter jets. With them, kyiv considers that they could eliminate the air threat of the Russian army and tip the war in their favor in a definitive way. ZelenskyYesterday, in his last telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, he directly demanded them along with more long-range missiles.

The request for fighter jets, to date, has been dismissed by the White House, for fear that they could be used to attack Russian territory. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also ruled out sending jets to Ukraine: “I made it clear very early on that we would not send combat planes,” he said after meeting last Wednesday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, the possibility of arming Ukraine with F16s does convince countries like the Netherlands and Slovakia, which have offered to move their older fighters to Ukraine.

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What are the F16 ‘Fighting Falcon’ fighters like? Nicknamed ‘The Fighting Falcon’, this F-16 is a multi-role, supersonic, single-engine tactical aircraft. With an unmistakable aesthetic and a length of 15 meters, it is light and highly manoeuvrable. Much more powerful in battle than armored cars.

• It has been manufactured in the USA since 1974. First by the General Dynamics company and today by Lockheed-Martin. The cost of each unit ranges from 15 to 20 million dollars, depending on the US military. Much cheaper than its older brother, the F35.

• Its range is around 4,200 kilometers with external fuel tanks, while its radius of action is estimated at 540 kilometers.

• The White House has the power to veto its export to third countries. Any military wishing to send F16s to Ukraine has to have the express permission of Washington.

• 26 countries have F16 fighters in their air forces. Seven of them are NATO members: the USA, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Romania.

Can they decide the course of the war? Not by themselves, but they could be in combination with Western tanks, HIMARS rocket launchers, ghost drones and Ukrainian soldiers.

• yago rodriguezdirector of ‘The Political Room’ and analyst of ‘Red Hot” He sees this scenario as possible but qualifies: “The F16s, added to the arsenal that Ukraine has obtained from the West, would indeed be able to tip the course of the war towards kyiv. It would happen if all the war resources are well used, although it would also influence Moscow’s answer

• The kremlin maintains today that the dispatch of combat aircraft to Ukraine “increases the degree of tension. We are facing an escalation of tensions, including the supply of tanks and the continuing discussions on the air component,” said the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitry Peskov

• Ukraine could use the F16 fighters, not immediately but in the long term. Yago Rodríguez warns today in ‘Al Rojo Vivo’: “If training a combat tank unit takes months, training combat pilots; going from a MIG29 to an F16 is a process that can take years. This type of aircraft could be an interesting support to eliminate part of the Russian air defenses”.

• Guillermo Pulido, a political scientist and security analyst, acknowledges that “in the medium term, the fighters may be essential.”

Is the West willing to hand over F16? In his social networks, Zelensky is clear in his request: “It is important that we expand our cooperation in artillery and we have to get the supply of planes for Ukraine.”

But the Western powers react cautiously.

• The Biden Administration is reluctant to send the fighter planes. Although the National Security Adviser, John Kirby, affirms in an interview in ‘The Hill’ that the US is in “constant talks” with Ukraine. You can’t blame the Ukrainians for wanting more and more fighter jets, but I don’t have any announcements to make on that front.”

• The German Chancellor, Olaf Schölz, has ruled out sending jets to Ukraine. “I made it clear very early on that we would not send fighter jets and I repeat it here,” he said last Wednesday.

• The Minister of Foreign Affairs NetherlandsWopke Hoekstra, has stated that they will consider the F16 option “with an open mind” and that there was “no taboo” on military support.

• The Government of Slovakia through its Defense Minister, Jaroslav Nad, has offered to train Ukrainian pilots

What can we expect? The manufacturer of the F16, Lockheed Martin, has announced in Financial Times that the production of these fighters will increase in view of the possible supply of aircraft to Ukraine.

• The company’s director of operations, Frank St.John, has stated that “they will increase manufacturing in Greenville (South Carolina) to be ready and have availability in case third countries transfer aircraft to help in the current conflict”

• Next February, the Ukrainian Defense Contact Groupknown as ‘Ramstein format’. It is believed that it will be at that appointment when kyiv formally requests the arrival of F16 bombers to its air force.

• ruth ferrero, Professor of Political Science and European Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid, has gone further. Today in “Al Rojo Vivo” she defended that “In Ramstein they are going to debate when they are going to send those planes. Because that’s already decided. Since October there have been Ukrainian soldiers training in the US to pilot F16s. The next thing would be the sending of international troops to Ukraine.”

• Jesus Perez Trianaa Defense analyst, delves into the possible shipment: “delivering Western planes to them will make it much easier to be able to additionally deliver intelligent munitions, systems, guided bombs and Western weapons.”