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| Refusing Drone Assistance, Ukraine Really Needs F-16 and F-15 |
What is the reason Russia attacked Ukraine? There's still a lot of debate out there. But what is certain is that Russia has not only provoked the wrath of Ukraine, Western countries have spontaneously helped Kyiv with logistical supplies to weapons.
The United States is the country that contributes the most military assets to it, and Britain is the second. Many weapons have arrived in Ukraine, ranging from light to heavy systems such as tanks, artillery, and even air platforms.
But not all of these aid packages matched the wishes of the Ukrainian army on the battlefield. One of them was a package of MQ-1C Gray Eagle attack drones from the United States which Ukrainian pilots refused.
Large drones like the Gray Eagle will only become the butt of an increasingly solid Russian air defense. Perhaps if the aid had come in the early days of the war, it would have provided very useful benefits for Ukraine, but not for now.
Quoted from The War Zone, a Ukrainian pilot said: "Now that the war has entered the second phase, where long-range, cruise, and even ballistic missile attacks are preferred, he added that they are currently in dire need of ground-based air defense systems and fighter aircraft as "auxiliaries" . On this occasion, the pilot stressed to the Pentagon to immediately send F-16 fighters and even more powerful F-15s.
Why does Ukraine need the F-16 and F-15 so badly?
Quoted from Sandboxx.com, Despite becoming increasingly friendly with the West in recent years, Ukraine's stockpile of military equipment remains largely composed of Soviet-era technology, including their aircraft. While the F-15 and F-16 have flown since the 1970s, Ukraine has operated two very different fighters, the Sukhoi Su-27 and Mikoyan MiG-29.
This is the reason why the West had previously sought to send a fleet of MiG-29s from Poland. Because the West views Ukrainian pilots will quickly adapt to the Soviet-era fighter.
In fact, the fighter aircraft used by the Ukrainian Air Force such as the MiG-29 is much 'younger' than the US model. The MiG-19 and Su-27 joined the Russian Air Force in 1985, the F-16 in 1978 and the F-15 in 1976.
And according to Sandboxx, this Soviet fighter was developed specifically to compete with US fighters. However, it is not without reason why the F-16 and F-15 are still loved by many countries even at their young age.
These two 4th generation fighters consistently receive numerous upgrades, to turn this Cold War asset into a modern, contemporary fighter. While not having the stealth capabilities of the 5th generation, they are still very capable of the air-to-ground operations Ukraine wants, Sandboxx reports.
The F-16, which was designed as a light multi-role platform, and the F-15, which was named the most dominant air superiority fighter of its time.
The F-15 has a combat record of 104 aerial victories with 0 losses, no other fighter can compete in dog fighting with this fighter.
With Russia's air defenses getting stronger, it's only natural that Ukraine needs powerful fighter planes to deal with it. Kyiv will use these Western warplanes to dominate part of Ukrainian airspace.