Why Volodymy Zelensky ­is dreaming of the F-16

The US-made fighter-jet is a game changer for the Ukrainian president — but he is going to have to wait

The F-16 can carry America’s small-diameter bomb, the precision-guided GBU-53/B StormBreaker, which has a range of 70km. Picture: AFp

President Volodymy Zelensky ­appears to wake each morning with one question on his mind: when will the F-16s arrive?

After the flood destruction caused by the explosions at the Kakhovka dam, Zelensky contacted US allies to ask about ­timings for the first F-16 fighter aircraft.

Nothing he has been told will have boosted his hopes that one of America’s most effective combat jets will be ready for operations before the end of the year.

Denmark, which is providing F-16s and training pilots, has warned the program will not begin until early next month and that it could take another six months for the aircraft to be ready for operations from Ukraine.

Could this be accelerated? US officials have said the objective of the F-16 project is not to provide Ukraine with a war-fighting capability to back up its counter-­offensive against Russian positions, but to reinforce long-term defences against any future aggression from Moscow.

While this is a more realistic proposition, it doesn’t satisfy Zelensky’s urgent need for a bigger and better air force to strike at Russian defensive forces.

Negotiations are under way for Australia to transfer 41 mothballed F/A-18 Hornets to Ukraine with US agreement. The aircraft are updated versions in good condition but are being replaced by new F-35A stealth fighters.

Zelensky’s favoured Western fighter aircraft is the F-16 Fighting Falcon because it is faster and more agile than the F/A-18, but both aircraft could make a significant impact in the war in Ukraine. Mark Milley, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, has warned that no aircraft will be a “magic weapon” for Ukraine, pointing out that Russia has 1000 fourth-generation fighter aircraft.

But even if the F-16 might not be a game-changer, it’s easy to see why Zelensky wants it delivered sooner than the West is promising. The F-16 can carry America’s small-diameter bomb, the precision-guided GBU-53/B StormBreaker, which has a range of 70km. This is less than the UK’s Storm Shadow cruise missile (250km) already in service in Ukraine. But there are far more StormBreakers in stock and they are effective against semi-hardened targets.

Zelensky wants these capabilities now, but he knows he is going to have to wait.

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