Lockheed ready with F-16s as Kyiv allies revive debate over fighter jets
Financial Times skrev:Frank St. John, chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin, the largest US defence contractor, told the FT that there was “a lot of conversation about third party transfer of F-16s” — whereby countries would re-export their US jets to Ukraine to defend its airspace. Lockheed is not directly involved in talks regarding the potential delivery of military aircraft to Kyiv.
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EU member states re-exporting F-16s directly to Ukraine is one of a series of options, European officials said, pointing out that the US-made jets could also be sent by western states to former Warsaw Pact countries that could then send their Soviet-designed aircraft to Kyiv.
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Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra said last week that the Netherlands would consider any requests to send F-16s with “an open mind” and that there were “no taboos” on military support. The Netherlands has around 40 F-16s and is in the process of phasing them out through the purchase of more advanced F-35s.
Diskussionen om västerländska stridsflygplan till Ukraina tar fart igen.
Iranian Ballistic Missiles Threaten to Change Battlefield Dynamic in Ukraine
Jamestown skrev:Expecting a fast and decisive victory, the prolonged battle in Ukraine caught Russia by surprise. Amid a high-tempo conflict, Russia’s missile arsenal is depleting fast. In this regard, Iran’s missile and drone solutions provide the Kremlin with the perfect alternatives. In the past few months, the infamous Shahed-136 loitering munitions and Soviet-made cruise missiles proved to be more effective and affordable compared to advanced assets like the Kalibr. Yet, due to their flight trajectory and large warheads, ballistic missiles will be a much more destructive threat. Up until now, Ukrainian air defense systems have been effective against cruise missiles, combat drones and loitering munitions to a considerable extent. In the October 2022 strikes, the interception rate against Russian cruise missiles stood at around 64 percent (The Kyiv Independent, November 4).
However, ballistic missile defense is a different game, and a much harder one to crack. Combined with the country’s limited military resources, the destructive potential of Iranian ballistic missiles would be a significant disadvantage for Ukraine. Providing a successful defense against these missiles will be tricky. At present, the most effective system that can assist Ukraine in this regard is the Patriot—and though transfer has been confirmed, they have yet to be delivered. Famed for its successful performance in various conflict zones, the Patriots have been quite successful in the protection of critical national infrastructure. However, they are not a magic bullet for Ukraine’s air defense. To begin with, the number of Patriot batteries in the US inventory is limited, as many Patriots are already forward deployed in high-threat regions such as the Indo-Pacific. Furthermore. The size of Ukraine’s air space poses particular problems (Nato.int, 28, 2022). The country has one of the largest air spaces in Europe, making all-encompassing air defense extremely difficult. In addition, Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure is dispersed throughout the country, creating another hardship.
In a prolonged war and possible renewed Russia offensive in the coming months, the West should refrain from considering Ukraine’s security through a solely defensive lens. Especially in the context of the impending Iranian ballistic missile threat, NATO should provide Kiev with counteroffensive capabilities that can match with Iranian ballistic missiles. These would come with the transfer of offensive systems such as ATACMS. Solutions exist, but the clock is ticking, and these decisions must be taken sooner rather than later.
Kan västerländska stridsflygplan skydda Ukrainas luftrum från ballistiska missiler utöver kryssningsmissiler och drönare?
Ukraine tank sergeant: ‘We’re tired of fighting Putin with rubbish kit’
The Times skrev:A battered-looking Soviet-era T-62 stood parked against the wall of a block of flats behind the front lines in Bakhmut, the Ukraine war’s most heavily contested town. Behind was its back-up, a BMP-2 armoured fighting vehicle, also of Soviet vintage. The problem was that the BMP would not start.
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Standing by their machines, their commanders lined up to tell stories of confronting the Russians at ranges of as little as 45 metres. “For me, the scariest time was when I came across a Russian tank when I wasn’t expecting it,” said Sergeant Serhii Kyraev, 32. “He wasn’t either. Both of us had T-64s, and both of us were sitting on top of our tanks. The trouble was, I had no ammunition.”
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He was particularly realistic when it came to the T-90, the third-generation Russian tank, developed after the end of the Soviet Union. “This is where the quality of what we have is important,” he said. “If you come across a T-90, you need three of ours to deal with it — or very good luck.”
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“Any decision to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks should come with an industrial strategy to scale up production for spare parts, ammunition, new vehicles, and other weapon systems to sustain and upgrade Ukraine’s defence capabilities,” Loss said. “Industrial-scale warfare requires an industrial response.”
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