The Biden administration has told its European allies it is ready to allow them to send ‘game changing’ fighter jets to Ukraine to use against Vladimir Putin’s forces, according to reports.
The White House is coming under increasing pressure to help Ukraine procure the US-made F-16, which are in the arsenals of a number of European countries.
However, any country would require the United States to sign off the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine on account sensitive US technology being on-board the jets.
According to CNN, White House officials have signaled to its European allies in recent weeks that it is willing to allow them to export the jets to Ukraine, which is currently gearing up for a counteroffensive against Russia’s invading forces.
The network cited sources familiar discussion, adding that they said Washington remains reluctant to donate any of its own F-16s towards Kyiv’s war effort.
The Biden administration could sign off the delivery of ‘game changing’ fighter jets to Ukraine from some of its European allies to use against Vladimir Putin’s forces, according to reports.
Nevertheless, CNN said the White House is prepared to send the jets should its allies in Europe decide that is what they want to do with their supply of F-16s.
However, the network said its sources were not aware of any formal requests from any of America’s allies to export the jets.
They also said no State Department officials have been told to prepare any paperwork that would approve third party transfers, CNN reported.
F-16s have been at the top of Ukraine’s weapons wishlist since it was handed main battle tanks from the likes of the US, United Kingdom and Germany.
Kyiv argues that it won’t be able to defeat the invading Russians full without modern fighter jets, which have the potential to tip the balance of war further in their favor.
Ukraine’s air force currently relies on Soviet-era jets that would struggle in a dog fight against the Kremlin’s more modern jet, or against its air defences.
Despite this, Russia has not been able to win controls of the skies over Ukraine either, with Kyiv’s own air defenses keeping Moscow’s air force largely grounded.
Ukraine says the F-16s are ‘four or five times’ more effective than Soviet-era jets it currently has, and is urging its allies to send some to Kyiv.
Speaking to CNN, Retired US Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton said the fourth-generation fighters could be a ‘game changer’ for Ukraine.
‘Its really versatile and can be used in many different ways,’ he told the network.
‘And it’s also an aircraft that can potentially use its electronic jamming capability to go after some of the Russian radars.
‘It’s a very important aircraft, it’s probably the best aircraft for all the different capabilities the Ukrainians could want, and its probably the only aircraft that has all those in one package.’
The White House is coming under increasing pressure to help Ukraine procure the US-made F-16, which are in the arsenals of a number of European countries. Pictured: President Joe Biden arrives for a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in Hiroshima, Japan, Thursday, May 18, 2023, ahead of the start of the G7 Summit
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is making progress in persuading the West to supply Ukraine with F-16s, which are flown by several NATO nations and their air forces.
On a tour of European capitals this week he received pledges from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch PM Mark Rutte to help build a ‘jets coalition’, although both leaders have stopped short of saying they will send planes.
‘We want to create this jets coalition and I’m very positive with it… I see that in the closest time you will hear some, I think, very important decisions, but we have to work a little bit more on it,’ Zelensky said in London on Monday.
Washington – and president Joe Biden personally – has ruled out sending F-16s to Ukraine for now, and has seemed unenthusiastic about the idea of giving the green light to other countries in its pubic statements on the matter.
When asked on Wednesday about the supply of F-16s on Wednesday, a State Department official said: ‘We want to ensure that the assets and systems that we offer our Ukrainian partners are the most impactful, that they can use them now.’
Western governments have been wary of leaving their own countries undefended by giving away too much equipment.
They have also avoided sending anything that could strike deep into Russian territory and give Moscow a reason to escalate the war.
No Western-designed jets have yet been donated. Poland and Slovakia have handed over 27 MiG-29s to supplement Ukraine’s current fleet.
Poland has given Ukraine 14 MiG-29s and has said it will give more. However, Polish President Andrzej Duda reiterated on Tuesday that Poland has too few F-16 jets to be able to give any to Ukraine.
Slovakia has donated 13 Mig-29s in various states of airworthiness to Ukraine.
In contrast to these numbers, the F-16s – also known as the Fighting Falcon or Viper and made by Lockheed Martin – are the most popular fighter jet in the world.
Nearly 4,500 are deployed in various countries around the world.
Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 15
Rutte said on May 4 that the Netherlands was working with allies including Britain, Belgium and Denmark to reach a conclusion on whether to send jets to Ukraine.
The Netherlands has 24 F-16s operational until mid-2024, when they will be replaced by F-35s. It has also 18 F-16s non-operational, of which 12 have been sold.
Britain will not send jets to Ukraine, a spokesperson for Sunak has said, since Britain does not have the F-16s that Ukraine wants.
Britain had previously said that the time required to train pilots and the substantial support crews needed to send its Eurofighter Typhoon jets meant they would be of little immediate use, but Sunak has said Britain stands willing to support any country willing to send jets.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday the country has neither the training capacity nor the right equipment to actively contribute to the initiative to help Ukraine source fighter jets.
Denmark said in February it was ‘open’ to the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine. Denmark currently has around 30 F-16s in operation.
One alternative to the F-16 could be the JAS Gripen fighter jet produced by Swedish defence manufacturer SAAB, which is seen as a more cost-effective alternative to the F-16. The aircraft is operated by Sweden and a handful of other countries such as South Africa and Brazil.
Sweden has repeatedly said there are no plans to send Gripens to Ukraine and that the Nordic country, which has applied to join NATO, needs its existing inventory.
The Czech Republic uses rented Gripens while Slovakia is waiting to receive F-16s and currently relies on allies to cover its airspace.
Czech President Petr Pavel has mentioned that the Czech Republic could give some of its light, sub-sonic L-159s, but this is theoretical at this point.
Meanwhile, US officials have estimated the most expeditious time needed for training and delivery of F-16s at 18 months.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France is open to training Ukrainian pilots in France right away. France does not have F-16s, only French-made Rafale warplanes and the previous generation Mirage 2000 jets.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured in London speaking to Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak) said he is making progress in persuading the West to supply Ukraine with F-16s, which are flown by several NATO nations and their air forces
London has agreed to start training pilots in the spring and said it will look at shortening the sessions for experienced Ukrainian pilots.
‘This is not about gifting weapon systems. This is about gifting a platform. If anyone follows Formula One, you don’t just gift a car, you have to gift a pit team,’ UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday.
Some fighter jet models are likely to prove more suitable than others.
Justin Bronk from the RUSI think tank said Typhoons and F-16s would need to operate from smooth runways and centralised bases, while Sweden’s Gripen planes could fly at lower altitudes and be serviced on shorter, rougher airstrips.
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