British Prime minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have agreed to build an “international coalition” to help procure F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine, the British government announced on Tuesday (May 16). The statement came a day after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held an unannounced meeting with Sunak in the latter’s country house at Chequers. Standing next to Sunak after the meeting, Zelenskiy said the two had discussed fighter planes “because we can’t control the sky”, and was positive about persuading other western nations to supply aircraft. Britain itself does not fly F-16s, relying on the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II instead. The Netherlands, however, does have a fleet of F-16s in service. After Zelenskiy’s recent visit (May 4) to the Hague, Rutte mentioned that while talks on a potential donation of F-16s to Ukraine were progressing, “no decision has been made.” Why does Ukraine need fighter jets? Ukraine has lobbied western nations for fighter jets since the beginning of the war, in an effort to bolster its aerial capabilities. At the start of the war, Ukraine had only 132 fighter aircraft as compared with Russia’s 1391, as per data compiled by the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Even taking into account some Russian aircraft being deployed elsewhere, the numerical disadvantage was still significant. The war has exacerbated this disadvantage. Numerous estimates have suggested heavy aircraft losses on both sides. But with its larger fleet and domestic manufacturing, Russia’s ability to replenish its aircraft losses remains far greater than that of Ukraine. This has made acquiring fighter aircraft top of Ukraine’s list of priorities. Since World War II, the significance of controlling the skies has been seen as paramount in armed conflict. Controlling airspace not only allows greater flexibility to ground combat forces and logistics operations, it also is the first layer of defence in modern combat. With Ukraine’s aircraft fleet getting stretched, it is left vulnerable to Russian airstrikes on crucial military and civilian installations. Why the F-16? But aerial capabilities are not just determined by numerical strength – the technological capabilities of the available aircraft are arguably of even greater importance. Currently, Ukraine’s Air Force operates a number of Soviet-era fighters, with the Mig-29 being its workhorse. Poland and Slovakia have also sent some of their own Mig-29s to Ukraine to support the war effort. However, while it is capable in its intended role as an interceptor, it has a major limitation – Mig-29s are fast and extremely manoeuvrable but lack the endurance required for long missions, with their range being just over 1400 km. While they can carry external fuel tanks to increase said range, this comes with some major trade offs in terms of speed and manoeuvrability, with the aircraft needing to jettison these tanks in order to go supersonic. This is the primary reason why the F-16 is so highly desired by Ukraine. While the Mig-29 is still a capable aircraft, on a whole, the F-16 is a more well-rounded fighter jet with a range of over 4000 km without external fuel tanks. How did the F-16 become the workhorse of so many air forces? Designed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force as an air superiority fighter (same as the Mig 29), the F-16 Fighting Falcon has evolved over the years as one of the most successful, all-weather multirole aircrafts in history. Commercial production first started in 1976 and today, it is the most widely operated commercial jet in the world, in operation in 30 countries. Some of the most notable features of the F-16 include a frameless bubble canopy which provides pilots with excellent all-round visibility, an advanced ejection seat which decreases the g-forces felt during ejection, a M61 Vulcan cannon which can spit out 20mm rounds at a rate of over 6,000 per minute, and 11 hardpoints to mount missiles and other equipment. The F-16 was also the first aircraft to use a fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system and have relaxed static stability. It was the first aircraft that was designed to be slightly aerodynamically unstable, to both reduce drag and improve manoeuvrability. The FBW flight control system helps the pilot safely manoeuvre the aircraft despite the instability using advanced computers. But more than any of its features, the success of the F-16 can be attributed to its relatively low price and operational costs, when compared with other western aircraft. What are some of the challenges that Ukraine will face to integrate the F-16 into its fleet? Despite all the pros, integrating the western-made F-16 into Ukraine's Air Force will be challenging. First, Ukrainian pilots will have to be extensively trained to operate the aircraft – not only in how to fly the plane but also in English. All systems of the F-16 aircraft operate using English and currently, all Ukrainian fighters operate using Russian. Second, Ukraine will also quickly need to set up a whole new ecosystem to manage the aircraft. This will mean training ground personnel, acquiring spare parts and other equipment required to maintain the F-16, and setting up mission protocols based on the F-16’s specific capabilities. All these things need time – something Ukraine does not necessarily have. Air defence experts say that while F-16s would theoretically offer Ukraine an edge over the Russian air force, integration will be tricky and for them to truly perform to their fullest, western countries will also have to provide requisite missiles and targeting information, something that will draw them more actively into the war.
