Fighter jets are next priority, Kyiv tells allies

The F-16 is at the top of wishlist, although officials have also pointed to the more advanced F-35 as well as the Eurofighter.

A Indonesian Air Force F-16 fighter jet takes off at RAAF Darwin for Exercise Elang AUSINDO 17.

Ukraine has said it was confident of securing Western combat jets as it seeks to galvanise NATO military support after the breakthrough this week on the delivery of modern battle tanks.

Kyiv has put the F-16 at the top of its wishlist, although officials have also pointed to the significantly more advanced F-35 as well as the Eurofighter, the Tornado, the French-made Rafale and the Swedish Gripen fighter.

The F-16, developed in the 1970s, was once the fighter jet of choice for many air forces, but is gradually being retired from service, meaning there is in theory a deep reservoir of aircraft and spare parts on which Ukraine could draw.

Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer, has said it is already stepping up production of newer F-16 models in anticipation of a wave of demand from countries giving older F-16s to Ukraine and seeking a swift replacement.

Yuriy Sak, an adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister, has given numerous interviews urging his country’s Western backers not to delay for as long as they did over the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams battle tanks, which were finally pledged on Wednesday.

“We will get F-16s,” Mr Sak told CNBC. “At the moment more than 50 countries around the world have this platform. I don’t see a reason, or any rational explanation, why Ukraine shouldn’t be getting F-16s or other fourth-­generation jet fighters.”

Ukraine has been seeking jet fighters since the middle of last year, but its campaign has gathered momentum after the deal for the US, Germany, Britain, France, Poland and other allies to dispatch modern battle tanks.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said “nothing is excluded” in terms of arms donations as Paris becomes significantly franker about its hopes for a Ukrainian military victory.

The French air force does not operate F-16s, but could in theory spare some of its ageing Mirage fighter jets, all 124 of which are to be replaced by newer Rafales under a package announced by President Emmanuel Macron last week. The Netherlands, which plans to replace its 29 remaining F-16s soon, has said it would consider any Ukrainian requests with an “open mind”.

Poland drew up a plan to give Ukraine some of its Soviet-­vintage Mig-29 jets in September, but backed down when the US said it would not take part. Last week, the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper reported that Poland had secretly shipped several disassembled MiG-29s into Ukraine as “spare parts”.

Ultimately, Ukraine’s hopes of obtaining the F-16 or other Western jets depend heavily on the US. A spokesman for the US National Security Council said on Friday: “It is not surprising that the Ukrainians have asked not only for F-16s in particular, but fighter aircraft generally. This is not a new request by them and you can hardly blame them … All I will say is that we are in constant discussion with the Ukrainians about their capability needs.”

THE TIMES