At their meeting in Brussels today, the allies of the West are expected to make public their intentions to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s made in the US. However, it is still unknown which nations will be willing to donate the jets, how many, or even when.
The commander of Norway's Air Force claims that sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will "not be a silver bullet" or a "quick fix.". It will take time for Ukraine to learn how to control sophisticated weapons on Western jets, according to Maj Gen Rolf Folland.
We meet during a significant allied air exercise over Norway, Finland, and Sweden. More fighter planes than the entire Ukrainian Air Force are involved—150 in total.
In order to prevent what he refers to as the "old fashioned" conflict currently occurring in Ukraine, Gen. Folland claims that the training is about controlling the skies.
It takes a level of scale and sophistication to take control of the air that Ukraine will not be able to match. Even providing a small fleet of F-16s could present significant difficulties.
Pilot Pulse of Belgium spent three years perfecting his F-16 fighter. His call sign, not his real name, is to be used, per request.
He takes us on a tour of his F-16, which was created long before his time, in the late 1970s.
It "flies like a dream," he claims. The easiest part is flying, though. The rest is more challenging. " .
Learn how to use the radar, sensors, and weapons of the F-16. In Ukraine, where there are currently more pilots than aircraft, this training is intended to be condensed into a few months.
Providing Western jets to Ukraine makes sense, according to Pulse. He shows the weapons on his F-16, which include bombs for hitting targets on the ground and air-to-air missiles for taking out adversary aircraft. The fact that you can use any NATO stock weapon with this jet makes it important, says Pulse. ".
The jets' upkeep is another consideration, though.
The more contemporary F-35 has been adopted by the Norwegian Air Force, along with other air forces in Europe. So, theoretically, Ukraine should have access to F-16s.
Two of their old F-16s are used to train aircraft engineers at Orland Air Base. For a senior aircraft technician, that may take even longer than a year.
The base commander and former F-16 pilot Col. Martin Tesli explains, "You can't just hand over a fighter aircraft and say off you go!".
He claims that there is a sizable logistical tail of equipment, software, and spare parts. However, he also recognizes the significance of updating Ukraine's fleet of outdated Soviet-era jets.
"If another aircraft isn't given to them at some point, they won't have an air force to defend themselves. ".
According to Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute, keeping any F-16s in the air would likely require assistance from foreign contractors. Which nation is willing to take the clear risks involved in stationing its own citizens there is the obvious question.
Professor Bronk continues by saying that Russia will only target Ukraine's air bases if it receives Western jets. This poses a risk to the single-engine F-16 because it has a sizable intake that can pick up runway debris.
These are valid arguments for the US's protracted defiance of Ukrainian demands for F-16s. It's more about the logistics of running and maintaining the jets than it is about concerns about an escalation. It will be expensive and complex, the Pentagon has warned.
Additionally, sending Western troops to Ukraine is unlikely to materially alter the conflict on the ground.
"Not a single weapons system will change a big war," claims Lt Col Neils Van Hussen, a former F-16 pilot for the Royal Netherlands Air Force. According to him, F-16s would only give Ukraine "the ability to sustain what they're doing now.".
The truth of this conflict is that despite having a sizable air force, Russia has not been able to control the skies. Ground-based air defense systems are assisting in preventing that.
More air defenses for Ukraine will continue to be a top priority for the West right away. Longer term objectives include rebuilding its air force.
