Ukraine asks for F-15 and F-16 aircraft

Ukraine continues to fight Russia both on the ground and in the air. But the Ukrainian defenders lack modern air defense weapons to counter Russian military aggression on equal terms.

The Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided to refute several popular myths widespread both in Ukraine and abroad. First of all, regarding weapons, as well as the help of foreign partners.

Ukraine's successes on the ground are enough to win – a myth

The military say that during the Second World War, air superiority became a decisive factor for victory.

“Air dominance is fast and accurate strikes against enemy troops, their logistics centers and other important facilities, this is a very powerful fire support for our own ground troops and naval forces,” the military noted.

It is not surprising that the Russians, already on the first day of the war, decided to attack the airfields where our fighters should be. But the Ukrainian army was ready for this, and as a result of these missile strikes, it did not suffer significant losses.

The Ukrainian Air Force has weapons to effectively defend the country from Russia – a myth

Russia is vastly superior to Ukraine in terms of weapons, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The Russians have access to more advanced radar and missile technology. That is why the Ukrainian military cannot “close the sky” on its own.

“Because of this imbalance, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, from the very beginning of the war, urgently requested Western partners to provide more modern fighters and air defense systems. The Air Force also suffers losses, more and more equipment is destroyed by Russian troops, or it breaks down during operation, this need is becoming more and more urgent,” the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine emphasizes.

“Stingers” or other MANPADS compensate for the lack of equipment of the Ukrainian Air Force – a myth /p>

After all, the “Stingers” supplied to the Ukrainian army have a limited range – up to 5 kilometers. They cannot compensate for the lack of modern fighters and medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems.

The US and NATO provide Ukraine with all the necessary weapons – a myth

Ukraine has received a lot of weapons from our Western partners. But our allies did not respond to our call for air defense assets (fighters and air defense systems).

“We have not received the weapons we need to protect our skies and win, except for the short-range man-portable air defense systems already provided “, the military assured.

The Air Force Command claims that F-15 and F-16 4+ generation fighters would also suit them. Two or three weeks of preparation and training would be enough for Ukrainian pilots to fly them.

“Unlike the Soviet MiG-29s, these fighters are equipped with the best technologies used by the enemy, in particular, modern radars and missiles” , – they emphasize in the Air Force.

Another necessary thing is ground-based air defense systems that should protect our cities and villages from air strikes and rocket attacks. Currently, Ukraine has S-300 (SA-10) long-range anti-aircraft missile systems and the Buk-M1 medium-range missile defense system. However, these are obsolete systems from the Soviet era, which are much worse than Russian ones, such as the S-400 and others.

“For the effective protection of Ukrainian airspace, Patriot systems (USA) or cheaper and more mobile systems would be the most effective NASAMS (Norway). However, additionally, Ukraine would not refuse from the Soviet S-300, Buk-M1 systems, which are also now effective in combating the enemy,” the Air Force said.