Explainer
Fighter jets for Ukraine? Could F-16s, RAF Typhoons and other aircraft be seen in skies over Kyiv?
They can fly at more than 1,200mph and are some of the most advanced aircraft in NATO’s fleet. Could the F-16, RAF Typhoon or German Tornado be sent to Ukraine?
Michael Drummond
Foreign news reporter @MikeRDrummond
Wednesday 1 February 2023 09:40, UK
A General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon fighter jet, belonging to the Royal Netherlands Air Force
Pic:AP
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An example of an F-16 fighter plane in service with the Dutch air force. Pic: AP
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Could Western-made jets soon be screaming over Kharkiv or breaking the sound barrier as they tear through the skies above Zaporizhzhia?
It once seemed impossible, but now? Maybe not.
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After the Western world came together to agree on sending tanks to Ukraine, it was from the Netherlands that a possibly more radical idea was floated: sending Western-made fighter planes to Kyiv for use by Ukrainian pilots.
Although the US and UK have ruled out sending F-16 jets to Ukraine for now, the Dutch cabinet said it will look into supplying them if the Kyiv government asks for them.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has received “positive signals” from Poland which is ready to pass on F-16 fighters in coordination with NATO, a top Ukrainian official said.
So what are F-16s and Typhoons, and what could they be used for? And what other aircraft could be donated to Ukraine in the coming months?
A F-16 aircraft releases flares during the “Noble Sword-14” NATO international tactical exercise at the land forces training centre in Oleszno, near Drawsko Pomorskie, northwest Poland September 9, 2014. About 1,700 soldiers from Croatia, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Germany, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the U.S., Turkey, Hungary, Britain and Italy are participating in the three-week exercise. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel (POLAND – Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)
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A F-16 aircraft releases flares during a NATO exercise in Poland
F-16 Fighting Falcon
A highly manoeuvrable fighter jet, the F-16 is versatile and can reach speeds of more than 1,200mph.
It can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low-flying aircraft in radar ground clutter, the US says.
In an air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than 500 miles, deliver its payload with high accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point.
The Netherlands – a member of NATO – is one of a number of countries worldwide that flies F-16s as part of its air force.
“I think it’s likely that we’ll start to see more Western military aircraft being given to Ukraine – Ukrainians need it,” former intelligence officer Philip Ingram tells Sky News.
He said the difficulty is that pilots can’t just switch from flying one aircraft to another – especially at the intensity of live combat operations.
“But what we’re finding across the board with the Ukrainians coming in and learning to take over and operate Western equipment is they’re doing in weeks what it takes months for Western pilots to do,” Mr Ingram added.
Asked about what the impact of a squadron of F-16s piloted by Ukrainians would be, he said it would have a psychological effect on Russian forces.
“They’re up against a system that they know can outmatch them at any stage,” he said, arguing that it would push Russian air operations further back.
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A Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum multirole fighter jet of the Polish Air Force.
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Will Polish MiG-29 fighters be sent to Ukraine?
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Soviet-designed MiG-29 is already used by the Ukrainian air force and serves as a multi-role fighter plane.
The collapse and breakup of the Soviet Union mean a number of European countries have stocks of MiG-29s, including Poland.
In March last year, just weeks after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland offered to supply its entire fleet of MiG-29s to Kyiv in return for F-16s from the US.
At the time the Pentagon said the offer was not “tenable” and “raises serious concerns for the NATO alliance”.
However in the months since then Ukraine has mounted hugely successful counterattacks and many heavy weapons that were maybe once considered off the table – HIMARS and tanks, for example – have been donated to Kyiv.
A potential issue for the Polish MiG-29s, Mr Ingram says, is that they have been upgraded to run NATO communications systems that would potentially need to be removed to prevent them falling into Russian hands.
Asked about a possible timeline for F-16s, MiG-29s or other fixed-wing aircraft for Ukraine, Mr Ingram pointed to the next Ramstein air base meeting in mid-February which is expected to focus on aviation.
A British Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft takes off from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus September 22, 2016, for a mission in Iraq. REUTERS/Petros Karadjias/Pool
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An RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off from a base in Cyprus for a mission in Iraq in 2016
Eurofighter Typhoon
Able to travel at searing speeds of up to Mach 1.8 – 2,222mph – the Typhoon fighter jet can carry out a variety of roles including high-intensity combat, the RAF says.
First deployed with the RAF above Libya in 2011, the Typhoon has since been used in Iraq and Syria since 2015 as Western nations have sought to strike Islamic State targets.
The UK is among several countries that have stocks of the Typhoon, along with Germany, Italy and Spain. The UK is set to replace it with the Tempest next-generation fighter from 2035.
So far Britain has ruled out sending its Typhoon jets to Ukraine, with Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson saying they are “extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly”.
“It is the length of time it takes to learn how to use what are very complex pieces of equipment that is the limiting factor in this case but we will explore what more we can do to support Ukraine,” they added.
A German air force Tornado jet takes off from the German army Bundeswehr airbase in Jagel, northern Germany December 10, 2015. The first of the German air force Tornado reconnaissance jets took off for Turkey's Incirlik air base on Thursday, to support the military campaign against Islamic State. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
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The Tornado is still in service in Germany
PA-200 Tornado fighter
A two-seater fighter aircraft first introduced in the 1980s, the Tornado has been used by nations including the UK, Italy and Germany.
They saw use in strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, reportedly accounting for some 31% of the estimated 4,315 casualties inflicted by the RAF during the operation.
Retired by the UK in 2019 as the RAF shifted to use of the Typhoon, the Tornado is still in service in Germany but is due to be replaced with the more advanced F-35 fighter.
Ukrainian diplomat Andrij Melnyk called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to donate his country’s Tornados to help Kyiv in the war against Russia.
He said on Twitter: “Though it’s an old jet fighter, but still very powerful.
“Why not to deliver these Tornados to Ukraine?”
