US considers supplying Ukraine with fighter jets: White House

The Pentagon is considering providing Ukrainian forces with fighter jets, marking what would be a significant expansion of US involvement in the war.

A former Pentagon official says F-16 fighter jets are among those being discussed as options for Ukraine. Picture: AFP

The Pentagon is considering providing Ukrainian forces with fighter jets, marking what would be a significant expansion of US involvement in the war and carrying with it a risk of more direct confrontation with Moscow.

The Pentagon “is making some preliminary explorations into the feasibility of potentially providing fighter aircraft to the Ukrainians”, John Kirby, the White House National Security Council co-ordinator for strategic communications said at the weekend. “But it’s not something that they’re going to be able to execute immediately or even in the short term.”

The comments from a senior White House national security spokesman are the latest sign of the Biden administration’s growing assertiveness on arms for Kyiv and suggest an increasing willingness to provide advanced weaponry in an effort to help turn the tide of the war.

In March, after Poland proposed transferring MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine, the Pentagon rejected the offer, calling it “high risk”. The US intelligence community assessed that transferring the Russian-made aircraft would risk a response from Moscow that could result in a direct military conflict with NATO. That assessment, however, only applied to the Russian aircraft, and it appears that the administration believes that western-made fighters may not pose the same risk.

A driver passes a crater on Kherson's Antonovsky bridge across the Dnipro river in Ukraine caused by a rocket strike. Picture: AFP

Among the issues that must be addressed before the US could give Ukraine jets is training, maintenance and providing spare parts, Mr Kirby said. He didn’t say what kind of aircraft the US was considering or when the administration would make a decision.

A former Pentagon official said F-15 and F-16 fighter jets have been discussed as options for Ukraine, though both aircraft require significant training and maintenance. The former official, now in private industry, says a separate contingent is pushing to get Ukraine A-10s, a ground attack aircraft known for being rugged and easy to maintain.

The Pentagon declined to provide details about what it is assessing. “We are certainly engaged in a large discussion with the Ukrainians about their future force needs,” a senior defence official said, adding that providing fighter jets “is not something we are looking to support on the battlefield today”.

A Ukrainian serviceman passes destroyed buildings in the town of Siversk, Donetsk region. Picture: AFP

Ukraine has been asking for fighter jets since days after Russia’s February 24 invasion. But US officials have resisted giving Ukrainian forces weapons and equipment that could be seen as escalating the conflict. Some officials said they feared how Moscow would react if Ukraine used US aircraft to strike targets inside Russia.

For other advanced weapons systems like Himars, a multiple rocket launcher, the US has received assurances from Ukraine it wouldn’t use American equipment to strike inside Russia. Mr Kirby didn’t say whether Washington would require similar assurances in return for US aircraft.

While Ukrainian ground-based air defences have prevented Russia from achieving air superiority in Ukraine, Russian air power eclipses Ukraine’s air fleet in terms of numbers of aircraft and technology. More modern fighter jets would allow Ukraine to strike behind Russian lines and to provide air cover to its troops, particularly in the open plains of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions that Kyiv seeks to reclaim.

A man smokes outside destroyed buildings in the Ukrainian town of Siversk, Donetsk region. Picture: AFP

In recent months, some Central European countries have provided Ukraine with parts of Soviet-legacy fighter jets, allowing Ukraine to put more aircraft in the air. Ukraine has been successfully using its jets to shoot down some of the long-range cruise missiles that Russia has been raining on Ukrainian cities. It also used its jets, in addition to drones and artillery, to oust Russian forces from the strategic Snake Island in the Black Sea.

Russia usually refrains from using manned aircraft deep inside Ukraine because of layered Ukrainian air defences. It does, however, actively use fixed-wing and rotary aircraft on the frontlines, often firing missiles and rockets from a distance.

Speaking last week at the Aspen Security Forum, US Air Force chief Charles Brown said when asked about the prospect of giving US aircraft to Ukraine that there were potentially several platforms, but “I can’t tell you exactly what it’s going to be”.

The White House announced on Friday another $US270m worth of weapons to Ukraine, the 16th US aid package since the invasion. The latest batch included four more Himars and hundreds more unmanned aerial drones, called Phoenix Ghosts.

The Wall Street Journal