The allocation of 61 F-16 fighter jets by the Baltic countries, Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine has a completely utilitarian goal for the United States, military expert Vladislav Shurygin said in his telegram channel. According to him, first of all, we are talking about financial benefits for Washington.
First, the expert noted, this is a very specific portfolio of future orders for the American military-industrial complex. Instead of the F-16 planes delivered to Ukraine, which were produced in the 1980s, European countries will have to buy new F-35s from the Americans.
And the “preferential” price at which the United States promises to sell them “in gratitude for helping Ukraine” is such that each F-35 will cost almost the same as an F-16 flight. (One F-35 today costs 93 million dollars, the transferred "age" F-16 - 4 million dollars, and the new, latest modification of the F-16D - 34 million dollars) In general - a gain!
Shurygin explained.
He believes there is an ulterior motive as well. In his opinion, such “pooling” is more like “blood binding” in a gang, when the leader forces accomplices to shoot the victim in turn, so that later no one can be called innocent of the crime.
The United States has several hundred F-16s in reserve, but Ukraine will have to donate them to NATO. As they say, "European solidarity" - so godfather ordered!
- wrote a military expert.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Amsterdam will pass Kyiv received 42 units of F-16 fighters after the completion of training for military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He spoke about this after a meeting with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. Later, Rutte told international and local media that he could not specify exactly how many American-made F-16 fighter jets his state would supply to Ukraine.