Ukraine's main combat aircraft are Russian: the Su-27, which isn't operated by any Western military, the multirole Mig-29 and the Su-25. And while Poland and Slovakia have recently donated replacement Mig-29s, access to spare parts remains a logistical headache.
The IISS Military Balance 2022 report states that the Ukrainian Air Force had 124 combat-capable aircraft before the full-scale Russian invasion. To end Russia's superiority in the air, Ukraine wants its Western partners to provide more modern jets like the US-made F-16.
THE FIRST batch of the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine is preparing to receive is expected to arrive in late September—too late to play a role in the counter-offensive that could begin at any moment.
The supply of the F-16 fighter jets is seen as critical for Ukraine, but how many will be delivered, which countries will provide them and when remains unclear. The US has authorised western allies to give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine - and endorsed the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly the warplanes.
For starters, the United States is often considered supreme in terms of producing highly sophisticated aircraft, like fighter jets. The F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-18 Super Hornet, and F-22 Raptor are just a few examples of top fighters.
The RAAF provides support across a spectrum of operations such as air superiority, precision strikes, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, air mobility, space surveillance, and humanitarian support. The RAAF has 252 aircraft, of which 84 are combat aircraft.
The F-35A is at the forefront of air combat technology. Advanced sensors and data fusion allow it to gather and share information faster than ever before. Capable of supersonic flight while retaining stealth, the F-35A has extraordinary acceleration, agility and 9G manoeuvrability.
PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia's government on Friday approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of 13 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the second NATO member country to heed the Ukrainian government's pleas for warplanes to help defend against Russia's invasion.
Ukraine is likely to need up to 100 F-16s, but "certainly upwards of 60 to start with," former British Royal Air Force Senior Commander and Air Marshal Greg Bagwell told Newsweek. However, Kyiv's air force would need more aircraft than it can actively fly at one time, experts stress.
Why does Ukraine want them so much? The F-16 has both offensive and defensive capabilities. In the short term, Ukrainian officials say, F-16s and other advanced Western fighter jets are needed to enhance air defenses, since frequent barrages of Russian missiles are exhausting Kyiv's existing ground-launched systems.
MiG-29 scores high on energy maneuverability and capability to gain in a slow-speed close fight, say German pilots who have done combat training operating one against the other. While the F-16 has an advantage above 200 knots speed, the MiG-29 has incredible nose-pointing capability down to 100 knots.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations.
Overall, in a strict air-to-air dogfight, the F-16 would generally win. However, when you need something that can do it all, carry more ordinance, and be more flexible on what it's doing and where it is taking off from, the F-18 is going to be the aircraft of choice for most missions.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Ukraine's air force has lost 60 fighter jets, 40% of its pre-war fleet, according to a recently leaked American document. It has just 80 or so left. Russia has almost 500 planes allocated to the war.
The United States of America maintains the strongest Air Force in the world by an impressive margin. As of late 2021, the United States Air Force (USAF) is composed of 5217 active aircraft, making it the largest, the most technologically advanced, and the most powerful air fleet in the world.
The UK government has not disclosed since the beginning of the war that special forces have been active in Ukraine. Prior to Russia's invasion, in June 2021 the UK embassy in Kyiv said its special forces had conducted training activities with Ukrainian forces.
Ukrainian Su-27
The Su-27 was designed starting in 1969 as an interceptor jet for Russian defense. The prototype was launched in 1977, and the jet entered service in 1981. It is still widely used in various iterations.
Twelve F-16s, a lightweight multirole fighter class that first entered service in 1978, are being acquired for $4.21 billion - meaning each airframe and its associated weaponry, spare parts and maintenance equipment will set the Jordanian defence budget back a little over $350 million.
As the data in our chart shows, after the Americans, it is Turkey that has the most F-16s (243 aircraft). Following them are Israel (224), Egypt (218), South Korea (167), Greece (153) and Taiwan (136 and 66 on order). Together with the United States, these countries own three-quarters of the world's F-16 fleet.
Russia, on the other hand, has roughly 370 MiG-29, -31 and -35 fighters as well as 350 Su-27, -30 and -35 fighters, according to Flight International's almanac.
Though Russia's air force still operates an estimated 267 MiG-29s, and a handful of similar but modernized MiG-35s, it has not deployed any for combat over Ukraine.
Poland, which has sent 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, was an early advocate of sending fighter jets to the war-torn country. Although the MiG-29s may provide some relief to Ukraine, they are unlikely to satiate its demands.
Australia has purchased 72 Lockheed F-35A jets to form three squadrons, with all aircraft scheduled to be fully operational this year.
The nation holds a PwrIndx* score of 0.2567 (a score of 0.0000 is considered 'perfect'). This entry last reviewed on 06/04/2023.
"The F-22 Raptors have arrived in the Northern Territory as part of the EAC Program," AVM Goldie said. “This program has been in place since 2017, which builds on a broad range of long-standing air exercises and training activities undertaken between Australia and the United States.