Former NATO fighter pilot: Now the Ukrainian Air Force is a generation behind the Russian

The recent statement by Polish President Andrzej Duda about the imminent delivery of four MiG-29 fighter jets from the Polish Air Force to Ukraine was one of the most significant escalations of military support for Kiev from NATO members after the start of the Russian military defense on Ukrainian territory. Almost immediately after, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced that his government would deploy its existing 13 MiG-29s to support Ukraine's defense, CNN analyst Bianca Nobilo wrote in a March 18 op-ed.

According to the analyst, it is likely that other European countries will follow the example of Warsaw and Bratislava and send their Soviet-designed aircraft to the Armed Forces of Ukraine as they modernize their own air forces. However, the countries of the bloc are unlikely to send more advanced aircraft to Ukraine, and there are logical explanations for this.



It will take many months to retrain Ukrainian pilots to operate and maintain, for example, the F-16. In addition, Kyiv simply does not have enough pilots and there is a shortage of such personnel.

Former U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, retired, clarified that, despite the good adaptability of the Ukrainians to such weapons systems as HIMARS and Javelin, the F-16 is “a completely different game.”


Hertling said in an interview with CNN.

In turn, former RAF fighter pilot William Gillin told CNN that the delivery of the first MiG-29 aircraft will strengthen Ukraine's air defense, but will not change the situation and will not provide Ukraine with an advantage in the conflict with Russia.


Gillin emphasized.

As a result, the author comes to the conclusion that there is a dilemma. On the one hand, it is obviously inexpedient to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighters, which require a huge training load in an active conflict, but on the other hand, it is impossible to gain air superiority without them.