What would supplying Western fighter jets mean for Ukraine?
Kyiv has been asking for F-16s. (Photo: USAF)
The country currently operates a Soviet-era fleet of fast jets, including Su-24s, Su-25s, Su-27s and MiG-29s that have been in service for over 20 years.
As the conflict in Ukraine evolves, requests for military equipment and technologies from Kyiv have been changing. Currently, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s armed forces say they are in urgent need of fighter jets.
The country currently has a Soviet-era fleet of fixed-wing combat aircraft, including the Su-24, Su-25, Su-27 and MiG-29, that have been in service for over two decades.
Apart from operating ageing systems, Ukraine has also lost 55 fighter jets since the war started in February 2022 according to open-source intelligence site Oryx. Shephard Defence Insight notes that Zelensky’s armies currently have around 60 fighter
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