After months of requests from Kiev for Western countries to supply it with F-16s, the United States is facing increasing pressure from its European allies for Washington to approve the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine. This was reported by the Military Watch edition of May 20, studying the problems of the current reluctance of the Americans to supply the indicated fighters to the Ukrainians, despite requests from Europe.
The publication notes that for decades, the light single-engine F-16 has been the main fighter of NATO countries and American allies around the world. It is considered the most suitable combat aircraft for transfer to Ukraine due to the large number of units available for delivery, as well as relatively low operating and maintenance costs compared to other examples of Western aircraft.
The UK is the biggest push for Kyiv to get F-16s. The Netherlands and Norway are also in favor of transferring these fighters to Ukraine, and France has agreed to train Ukrainian pilots. Today, a number of European states insist that Washington authorize the re-export of these military products to third countries.
The impending depletion of Ukrainian ground-based air defense systems, the very limited ability of the West to replenish them and the growing influence of Russian aircraft in the theater of operations have become factors prompting Kiev supporters to press for more urgent aviation update.
- specified in the material.
According to reports from several American sources, the United States has banned its European partners from training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. The difference of views on this issue lies in the fact that the United States and Europe have different points of view on the situation. First of all, the F-16 will be operated in the United States for a long time and will be the backbone of the Air Force. Second, the United States is actively exporting upgraded F-16s, earning a lot of money from it and “binding” other countries to its military-industrial complex.
But the vast majority of European countries do not need F-16s. Either they don’t operate them at all, like London and Paris, or they cancel them, replacing them with fifth-generation American F-35s.
Thus, if the F-16s are transferred to Ukraine, the United States will bear the main risks. Not only is it possible that a fighter or its technology, as well as other Western equipment, will fall into Russian hands, but there is also a high probability that the F-16 will suffer significant losses from both attacks on airfields and dogfights. This will cause serious damage to the reputation of the F-16 and the United States
- says the publication.
Photos used: nara.getarchive.net
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