Ukrainian and Russian pilots are fighting to control the skies. Could Western jets change the war?
"A launch has been detected. Manoeuvre!"
Fighter jets like the one flown by Silk accompany Ukrainian ground attack aircraft - such as helicopters - during their combat missions at the front line. Silk's job is to provide cover from Russian air-to-air missiles. But there is not much Ukrainian jets can do to stop them. Russia's claim that they've destroyed more than 400 Ukrainian planes doesn't seem plausible, given independent estimates of the Ukrainian fleet's size are at least half that number.states that the Ukrainian Air Force had 124 combat-capable aircraft before the full-scale Russian invasion.
F-16s have better radars that can detect missiles fired at them. Currently, the team that monitors ground radars must verbally communicate with pilots about threats they face. But it's not just air support for ground troops. Western jets can also enhance Ukraine's air defence systems, aviators say. But the US administration has ruled out sending F-16 jets to Ukraine. Many are concerned that providing Ukraine with Western aircraft can only escalate the conflict, drawing the US and Europe directly into the war.
So the best option, he adds, is to start sending small groups now in order to have enough trained pilots when planes arrive. Even with F-16 jets, "Ukrainian pilots would still have to fly very low anywhere near the front lines because of Russia's ground-based threat and that would limit effective missile range," Prof Bronk explains. "And it also means employing air power in the way the West did in wars like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, isn't possible in Ukraine."
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