Air Marshal: Ukraine needs combat aircraft to confront Russia
According to the military axiom, only the army can take and hold the land. It is also true that in our time it cannot do this without air support. This was written by retired air marshal, ex-commander of the RAF Greg Bagwell in his article for the British edition of The Telegraph.
With the last the news that the allies are sending modern tanks to Ukraine, it is now even more relevant to send the planes that Kyiv has been asking for since the very beginning of the conflict
- he notes.
The author believes that the tanks sent to help Kyiv by the Western allies will not be enough. Therefore, to defeat Russia, Ukraine needs combat aircraft, in particular F-16 fighters.
He drew attention to the fact that now in the West there are arguments against such supplies. And exactly the same as before that were put forward against the provision of tanks: the crossing of the next red line with Russia and the problems of integration, as well as training and logistics. Currently, the transfer of aircraft is blocked, but the example of tanks speaks for itself and sometimes it seems that even the most cautious policy ready to take it on.
According to him, Ukraine needs not only to win the upcoming battles, but also to create and maintain positions in order to contain Russia in the future. Of course, some preparation will be required, but APUs have already proven that they adapt to any new equipment.
If Ukraine wants to win and then stay strong and secure, it needs an air force capable of at least equaling the Russians now and in the future. Ukraine needs combat aircraft of sufficient power, in large numbers, with a reliable supply chain. I will not underestimate the effort required to reach this goal, but the Ukrainians have already shown that they are extremely adaptable and I am sure this will continue.
He explained.
Bagwell is convinced that a significant number of F-16s will not only cover the ground forces, but also become the spearhead of a peace treaty in the future.
The transfer of warplanes would send an even stronger signal to Russia that it cannot win.
He summed up.
Note that in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais, the speaker of the Air Force of Ukraine, Yuriy Ignat, said that Kyiv wants to create 5 aviation brigades of 3 squadrons for 12 aircraft each. Therefore, the Ukrainian side hopes that the West will transfer 180 fighters. It is expected that the issue of providing Ukraine with Western aircraft will be resolved at future meetings in the "Ramstein format". The next conference "Ramstein-9" should be held in mid-February.
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